Firefighters from Mohammadpur Fire Station drained water from the basement of an under-construction building at Dhanmondi 32 on Sunday but found nothing except water.
Speculations had been circulating for days about an "Aynaghor," or secret detention centre, hidden beneath the water, with rumours suggesting submerged floors concealing mysteries.
However, by noon, after completing the draining process, the firefighters confirmed there was nothing unusual and left the scene.
Station Manager Mizanur Rahman said the accumulated water was just rainwater.
Firefighters had been working on draining the water since the morning, but after finishing the process, they left at 1:15pm without speaking to the media.
Later, when contacted, Mizanur told the media: “Nothing significant was found except water. We drained the basement water into the lake. After draining, we found that the empty space, about five feet deep, was actually meant for an elevator shaft, located beside the staircase. We finished the process and left around 1:30pm.”
When asked about the source of the water, he said: “This is an under-construction building. Even the first floor is not completed, and the roof is fully exposed. The accumulated water appears to be rainwater.”
Around 11:30am, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered at the site. Men and women of various ages visited the building, taking a look before leaving.
When asked, some of them said they had heard something was discovered there and wanted to see for themselves.
Among them, a witness named Masum claimed that an Aynaghor existed there, with multiple submerged rooms and items used by people—although he had not seen anything himself.
On Wednesday, following former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s online speech, agitated students and people demolished the house of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 in protest.
The protesters also reached the nearby under-construction building and discovered its multi-level basement.
While they managed to go down two floors, they found water blocking further descent.
It was assumed that there were more floors below.
