Police recovered a large amount of equipment including bombs and explosives from the terrorist hideout in Netrakona. Anti-terrorism unit, SWAT unit and bomb disposal unit searched there from Sunday (June 9) morning.
DIG of Mymensingh range in the campaign. Shah Abid Hossain, Additional DIG of Anti-Terrorism Unit Asadullah Chowdhury, Bomb Specialist Superintendent of Police Sanwar Hossain of Bomb Disposal Unit and Superintendent of Police of Netrokona Faiz Ahmed led the way.
Six high explosives (IEDs), one 12 volt battery, two martial arts dresses, two flash lights, five Android phones, seven button phones, two high power binoculars, 20 plastic dummy rifles, one Ram Da, one passport, two high-tech Compass, an electric saw, 30 belts, a laptop, a printer, a knife and six CCTV cameras were recovered.
Earlier on Saturday, a foreign pistol, 17 rounds of bullets, two magazines, a handcup and two walkie-talkies were recovered.
Later, members of the bomb disposal unit evacuated the people from nearby houses to safety and defused six high explosive devices (IEDs).
In this regard, DIG of Mymensingh Range. Shah Abid Hossain said in a press briefing that some tenants including a young man named Fahim alias Arif lived in the house. Arif was arrested with weapons in Raipura of Narsingdi on June 5. The operation was conducted based on the source of the incident and intelligence information.
He said that Professor Abdul Mannan’s phone is switched off. His involvement in the incident is being investigated. I don’t want to say anything beyond that for the sake of the investigation.
According to the police and local sources, on Saturday afternoon, the police of the first Netrakona model police station started raiding the two-storey house of Vasapara village of the upazila. After that, the Anti-Terrorism Unit and SWAT Team came and conducted a second round of operations.
Officials leading the operation said the house was used as a training center for militants. The exclusive device found here is similar to the equipment recovered from a militant hideout in Mohammadpur in 2017.
Superintendent of Police Faiz Ahmed said that there was a training environment suitable for training 15-20 people inside the house.
They said that about 20 years ago, the house was built by professor engineer Dr. Noapara village of Atpara upazila. Abdul Mannan. He was a teacher of duets. A woman said she would do college there. But he didn’t do it anymore.
Currently, fish are grown in two large ponds inside the house. Apart from this, there is a half-baked tin thatched house inside the wall. After paying the rent, the tenants raise the boundary wall of the house one and a half feet higher than before. As a result nothing of that house can be seen from outside. About 25-30 CCTV cameras are installed at different places of the boundary wall including coconut trees, mango trees of the house. No local is allowed to enter that house.
Meanwhile, Professor Abdul Mannan has another house in Banoapara area of the city. A private engineering college is running in it. The police also searched the house. Besides, a house in Newaj Nagar area of Banoapara is also under police surveillance.
HM Kamal/RH/JIM
