Bangladesh News

The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday recovered 46 grenades from Shimulia village under Debhata upazila of Satkhira district.

Sources said a team of Rab intelligence went to the district on Thursday night following confessions of Mufti Moin Zandal, a top leader of Mufi Hannan led Harkatul Jihad (Huji), arrested in Dhaka earlier.

In Satkhira, they picked up Nazrul Islam Gharami, 55, of Shimulia village from Nalta Bazar, five kilometres off the village.

The said three groups of Huji are active in the country. After the arrest of Mufti Hannan, Zandal, who hails from Narail district, had been controlling the militant group.

On the basis of Nazrul’s statement, members of the intelligence Huji are active in the country. After the arrest of Mufti Hannan, Zandal, who hails from Narail district, had been controlling the militant group.

After the recovery of the grenades, members of the elite force raided several other places of the upazila, Rab sources said.

Police Superintendent Abdullahel Baki of Satkhira said the police were not informed about the drive conducted by the Rab. He said police, on receiving information, went to the spot and came to know about the operation.

Lt Col Mestaul Islam, commanding officer of Rab-6 told The Daily Star that the grenades were recovered from the village following confessions of Nazrul.

He said the Rab personnel also carried out drives at several other places taking the arrestee with them and recovered more grenades. But he declined to disclose the total number of the recovered grenades.

When asked, the commanding officer also declined to say whether Nazrul has any links with any militant or terrorist group. But sources said Rab arrested Nazrul suspecting his links with the militants.

Commander SMAK Azad, director of the Legal and Media Wing of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), said they will provide details of the grenade recovery to the media today.

According to local sources, arrested Nazrul Islam’s two sons have shoe shops at Nalta Bazar and Parulia Bazar. One of them, Hafizur Rahman, took religious education.

In recent months, the law enforcers recovered grenades from the city’s Banani and Moghbazar, Nalitabari in Sherpur, Barobari village in Pirganj, Thakurgaon, Sirajganj, at Botiaghata upazila in Khulna, at Sonatila in Panchhari upazila of Khagrachhari, and at Shalipur in Savar.