The lone male member among those killed at the alleged militant den in Nasirpur, Moulvibazar, has been identified as Lokman Hossain.
Lokman’s father-in-law Abu Bakr Siddique, speaking to Prothom Alo on Sunday, said Lokman would live with wife Shireena Akhter and five daughters Amena Khatun (21), Sumaiya (12), Marium (10), Fatema (7) and Khadija (7 months).
“Four days ago, late at night I received a phone call from an unknown number. First my granddaughter Amena spoke and then handed over the phone to my daughter Shireena. Shireena said, ‘We won’t live much longer. Forgive us. You will never see us again,’” Abu Bakr Siddique narrated
He said she hung up before saying where they were.
Siddique pointed out that Shireena had called him late Wednesday night. It was early that morning that the police had laid siege to the militants’ hideout at Nasirnagar. SWAT and Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit had launched ‘Operation Hit Back’ at the militants’ den, ending the operation on Thursday evening. Seven bodies were recovered from the house.
After autopsy was carried out on the bodies at the Moulvibazar hospital, the police said one of the killed persons was male, around 45 years of age. One of the women was around 35 and the other was between 20 to 25 years old. The younger girls were estimated to be 10, 7 and 2, along with an infant of a few months.
The police feel that they were all of the same family and their description matches with that given by Abu Bakr Siddique.
Sources in the police’s counter-terrorism unit claimed that Lokman had several aliases. He used the name Sohail Rana when renting the house in Moulvibazar, according to the source. He was said to have been a member of the Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB) led by Shaikh Abdur Rahman, that is, the old JMB.
Prothom Alo’s Chapainawabganj correspondent reported that this Lokman Hossain alias Lokman Hakim was accused in a case of 2008. All accused in the case were said to be JMB members.
Office-in-Charge (OC) of the Ghoraghat police station Israil Hossain told Prothom Alo that Lokman was a shura member of JMB.
Lokman is the son of farmer Nurul Islam of the village Dangapara of Singra union, Ghoraghat. He was the third of three brothers. The eldest brother treated animals and the second one was a rickshaw-puller. Lokman’s father and stepmother lived in the village. His mother had passed away.
His father was not at home Sunday afternoon. Lokman’s sister said that their father was unwell and scared when he saw people from the administration. She said, “My brother left home with his wife and children about eight to nine years ago. We haven’t been in contact with them since then. We had no idea what he was doing. Now we have heard of his death.”
People of the area said Lokman would study at the local madrassa and 23 years ago married Shireena, daughter of Abu Bakr Siddique of the village Kolabori in the same upazila. They had two children while still staying at their village home. The other three were born after he left home. The families of both Lokman and Shireena claim they had no idea what they were doing all these years.
Source: Prothom Alo
