Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Saturday night arrested a garments factory owner, said to be a financier, recruiter and a safe house provider of the banned militant outfit the New JMB, from Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district.
Imran Ahmed, 37, was the Dawat-e-Ameer (recruiter) of the banned militant outfit’s Dhaka Metropolitan (West) Unit. He is the managing director of Jim Tex amd associated with the Sarwar-Tamim Group of New JMB, said RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan.
RAB's Mufti said Imran financed the weapons and explosives procurement of the JMB military unit, paid the passport fees for New JMB members, and also financially supported the families of members who were in prison.
“He gave Junoon Sikdar money and a passport that helped him to escape the country,” Mufti said.
Junoon, originally from Comilla and a computer science student in a private university in Dhaka, was arrested by police in 2009 under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
He was again arrested in 2013 for his alleged links with Ansarullah Bangla Team, the offshoot of the al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. A known recruiter of the jihadi group, he was later released on bail and left for Malaysia.
“Imran also provided a safe house in Mohakhali for an escapee called Sajid of the infamous militant den of Atia Mahal in Sylhet. Sajid has many aliases, including Kamran, Lal Bhai, Habibur Rahman, Mamun and Rashid. This man is an important person in the militant organisation having close ties to the central Ameer of New JMB, Abu Muharib,” added RAB's Legal and Media Wing director.
RAB also arrested Imran's driver and associate Md Shamim Mia, 29, from the same place on Saturday night.
Shamim aided Imran by ferrying various packages and money to members of the New JMB, said RAB.
“After the primary interrogation, Imran has admitted to being part of the militant outfit. We have also discovered that he was the recruitment coordinator in 10 districts, including Bogra, Comilla, Cox's Bazar and Rajshahi,” RAB's Mufti said.
Mufti added that it takes almost 10 years to become an ameer in the banned militant organisation.
Also Read- Two suspected members of Sarwar-Tamim’s New JMB faction held
On April 12, a secret meeting of the Sarwar-Tamim Group of JMB was held at Shaykh Enamul's house in Sonatola of Bogra district. A 10-member Dawati Sura Board was formed during that meeting.
There Shaykh Arif was selected as Dawati-ameer by the board. Imran was selected as Sura member and unit Dawat-e-ameer, RAB said.
Sajid has been in hiding and inactive on all social media platforms since May 26, according to RAB.
Also Read- New JMB chief Ayub Bachchu barely escapes arrest
Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit said a week ago that a JMB leader named Ayub Bacchu took over after the death of Musa. However, RAB said Abu Miharib and Sajid were the leaders of the organisation since Musa's death.