Suspicious NID card led cops to Atia Mahal den

Law enforcers on Sunday said suspicion arising over a National Identity card of one Morjina drove them to hunt for militants at the Atia Mahal militant hideout in Shibbari area of Dakhsin Surma upazila in Sylhet. According to police sources, law enforcement agencies have been raiding different areas across the country after raiding two militant dens in at Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong, where four militants were killed on March 16. On Thursday, when conducting a drive at Shibbari, they suspected the Atia Mahal of being a militant den and asked its owner, Ustar Mia, to provide his tenants’ National Identity cards to them. The sources said when the police were scrutinising one of the cards, they became suspicious and apprised the higher authorities of the issue. Ustar Mia’s son Kausar Ahmed Ripon had told the Dhaka Tribune: “Showing this card, a man rented the third floor from us three months ago. He claimed to be an employee of a private company and had been staying here with his wife and a child.” Around 8am, sensing the presence of law enforcers, the militants began shouting “Allahu Akbar” and hurled grenades from inside the house. Police withdrew and cordoned off the house. The raid at the den is still underway.