People, arrested in ongoing special drive, look through a prison van window in despair. The photo was taken on the Dhaka CMM Court premises on Tuesday.
The number of people arrested in special drive reached 11,684, including 145 militancy suspects, in four days till Tuesday morning.
Police arrested 3,115 people, including 26 ‘militancy suspects’, from 8:00am on Monday 8:00am to 8:00am on Tuesday, the 4th day of the weeklong ‘anti-militant’ special drive that began Friday morning across the country.
The arrested included Garib Ullah Akand, suspected as the second-in-command of Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, the executed kingpin of banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh. He was arrested at Binnakori of Muktagachha in Mymensingh Tuesday morning.
According to reports received from districts as well as Dhaka city, the arrested people included a good number of activists of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Some of the arrested claimed that they were falsely implicated in cases though they came to know about the cases only after they were brought to the police stations.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at an iftar party at Bashundhara International Convention Centre in Dhaka on Tuesday alleged that extortion was going on across the country in the name of the special drive.
She said that over 2,200 BNP leaders and activists were arrested so far in the special drive and police had been extorting and conducting ‘mass arrest’ in the name of special drive.
She alleged that the perpetrators of the targeted killings remained untouched.
Police officials, however, claimed that the arrested were mostly accused in different cases like violence, arson attack and drug peddling.
A police headquarters release said that the 26 ‘militancy suspects’ arrested on the fourth day included 12 JMB suspects, five Hizb-ut Tahrir suspects, one Allar Dal suspect and Harkat-Ul-Jihad-Al-Islami suspect.
Of the rest 3089 arrested people, 2,368 were wanted in criminal cases, 295 were held with illegal drugs, 388 were arrested in other cases and 38 were held with illegal firearms, said the release.
It said that 687 motorcycles were seized during the fourth-day drive.
It said that the law enforcers also seized 23 firearms, 18 bullets, six crude bombs, 500 grams of gunpowder, four machetes, a huge number of anti-government leaflets, ‘jihadi books’, sharp weapons and drugs.
In the wake of the recent spate of targeted killings of people, including superintendent of police Babul Akter’s wife and a Hindu priest on June 5, the police launched the countrywide special drive against ‘militants’ on June 10.
In Dhaka, detectives arrested Solaiman alias Arafat and Syed Mohammad Mojahidul Islam alias Shafi at Kamrangirchar Monday night.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner Monirul Islam at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre Tuesday morning said that they were leaders of the Chittagong unit of Islamist outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team and they were arrested when they were staying there for holding a secret meeting.
He said that the law enforcers also seized some jihadi books and two sharp weapons from them.
In Mymensingh, Garib Ullah Akand was arrested at Binnakori of Muktagachha Tuesday morning.
Muktagachha police station officer-in-charge Fazlul Karim said that Garib was the second-in-command of executed JMB kingpin Bangla Bhai and wanted in four cases filed with the police station under the Explosives Substances Act.
New Age correspondent in Jessore reported that police arrested 87 people including two ‘militancy suspects’, 21 Jammat activists and one Islami Chhatra Shibir activist in an overnight drive till Tuesday morning.
New Age correspondent in Barisal reported that 128 people, including two ‘militancy suspects’ and five Jamaat activists, were arrested in six districts of Barisal division from Monday noon to Tuesday noon under the special drive.
New Age correspondent in Tangail, quoting the district additional police superintendent Aslam Khan, reported that police arrested 45 people in 24 hours until Tuesday morning.
New Age correspondent in Chapainawabganj reported that police arrested 36 people, including a JMB suspect, at different places in Chapainawabganj during the time.
Police arrested JMB suspect Saidul Islam, 43, of Ajmatpur Monnatola village under Shibganj upazila, at a mango orchard at Telkupi under the upazila early Tuesday and seized four crude bombs and 500 grams of gunpowder, Shibganj police station officer-in-charge MM Moinul Islam said.
New Age correspondent in Dinajpur reported that Birganj police arrested two JMB suspects – Md Omor Faruque Molla, 39, and Md Khademul Islam alias Abul Hossain alias Pakistani Abul, 28, both of village Prannagar under the upazila – at Panchishmile of the upazila.
New Age correspondent in Feni reported that 19 people including a Jamaat activist were arrested in the district in 24 hours ending Tuesday morning.
New Age correspondent in Bogra reported that police arrested 96 people including a JMB suspect and six Jamaat activists at places in the district.
Source: New Age