Detective Branch (DB) Chief Harunor Rashid on Saturday said that they have arrested eight people including Dhaka city south unit BNP Joint Convener Nabiullah Nabi and five Jubo Dal activists, for their suspected involvement in setting fire to the Benapole Express train last night, leaving four passengers dead.
Addressing a press briefing at DMP Media Center, he said the DB Lalbagh and Wari Division jointly arrested them including Mansoor Alam, one of the planners and manpower suppliers, and Nabiullah, a shelter and financier from different areas of the capital.
Harun, also an additional commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said that the arrestees are - Dhaka South City BNP Joint Convenor Mohammad Nabiullah Nabi, Jubo Dal leader Kazi Mansoor Alam, Jubo Dal workers Md Iqbal Hossain Swapan, Md Russell, Delwar Hakim Biplab, Md Salauddin, Md Kabir and Md Hasan Ahmed.
The DB police arrested them in separate raids from different areas of the capital this morning.
The detectives also recovered Tk30,000 and two mobile phone sets from them, he added.
The additional commissioner said that two days ago Dhaka South City Jubo Dal convener Khandkar Enam, Member Secretary Rabiul Islam Nayan, Joint Convener MA Ghaffer, Joint Convener Iqbal Hossain Bablu, Office Secretary Shahjahan Chowdhury and Jubo Dal leader Kazi Mansoor Alam joined a virtual conference.
In the meeting, the leaders said that the ward and thana Jubo Dal leaders and activists will carry out the arson attacks on vehicles, and temporary election camps at convenient times during the day and night. They will also carry out explosions of cocktails around polling stations and vandalize properties and others.
The Jubo Dal leaders and activists will also distribute anti-election leaflets to the people and force the voters from voting activities, the DB chief said.
In the virtual meeting, BNP leaders also mentioned that pictures and video of those arson attacks and vandalism will have to be sent upper tier.
“Efforts would be made to discourage people from coming to vote centers,” he added.
The meeting also decided that they would attract the attention of the national and international media and instructed the activists to set fire to a passenger train compartment from Mymensingh to Dhaka, especially through Narsingdi at convenient places and Kamalapur to Narayanganj route up and down.
Harun also said that BNP leader Mohammad Nabiullah Nabi has been arrested as the ring leader and financier of the train fire. At the same time, 26 cases were filed against him in different police stations in the capital.
Besides, the DB and other law enforcement agencies have been continuing operations to arrest culprits.
