‘Old JMB engaged in mugging, robbery’

“The Old JMB [the original outfit] wants the limelight back on themselves. They are committing crimes like mugging and robbery to collect fund for the legal battle to bring out their top leaders, who are currently in prison,” said Monirul Islam, chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit of police. The CTTC learnt this during the interrogation of the seven JMB members who were arrested in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area on Monday, Monirul told reporters at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media Centre yesterday. The detainees are Md Kashem alias Kawsar alias Kashu, 20, Nazmul Hasan Nayan alias Noresh, 23, Md Rashed, 27, Md Sentu Howlader alias Jahid, 26, Md Abu Bakkar Siddique alias Shuvro alias Akash, 20, Md Abdul Bashed, 22, and Md Jewel Sarker alias Sohrab alias Sarker, 32. The seven were arrested by CTTC officials on Monday night when they were preparing to conduct a robbery, Monirul said. Officials also found 67 tola or 781.49 grams of gold, Tk6 lakh, four pistols, five magazines, 10 rounds of bullets, nine machetes, a television set, a laptop, a motorcycle and a large quantity of stolen materials in their possession, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman earlier yesterday. CTTC Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam produced the detainees before a Dhaka court yesterday, where  Metropolitan Magistrate Faruk Hossain placed them on a six-day remand for interrogation. Monirul said JMB’s main target now was to get its top leaders, including chief Mawlana Saidur Rahman and acting chief Abdullah Al Tasnim, out of prison. They appointed Salauddin alias Salehin, former member of JMB’s Majlish-e-Sura, as their new chief three months ago. Salauddin is one of the top three militants who were snatched by the JMB from police in 2014. Police have yet to arrest Salauddin and believe that he may be hiding in India. Following its ban by the government on February 21, 2005, the militant outfit shot to prominence when it carried out a series of bomb explosions in 63 of the 64 districts in the country on August 17 in the same year. The organisation started to weaken when, two years later, top six leaders of JMB, including founder Shayakh Abdur Rahman and second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were executed for killing Jhalakathi judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pare. Over the years, JMB’s strength continued to diminish as law enforcers continued their drive to arrest its top leaders. But the recent rise of New JMB – which has carried out 26 attacks in Bangladesh, including the terror attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia, since September last year after distancing itself from the main organisation – has driven the members of the main outfit to regroup and resume their activities, Monirul said. “JMB has never managed to get big support since it was founded in 1998. In the beginning, they used to collect money by robbing NGO offices, Grameen Bank offices and agents of banks. They are still doing it,” he continued. “They believe that if anyone commits a crime to collect money but spends it for jihad, their sin will be forgiven,” Monirul added.