Eight JMB activists including acting chief arrested in Dhaka remanded in police custody

Eight activists of the banned Jamaa'tul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), including its ‘acting chief’, have been remanded in police custody for three days.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 July 2015, 03:17 PM
Updated : 28 July 2015, 04:23 PM

On Tuesday, Detective Branch Inspector Atiqur Rahman wanted them in custody for 10 days for questioning them but Metropolitan Magistrate Atiqur Raqhman granted three.

Court police Sub-Inspector Suruj Mia said no lawyer had appeared for them in court.

The spokesperson for Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said the men had been arrested during a raid early on Tuesday in Dhaka’s Uttara.

One of the arrested, Abu Talha Mohammad Fahim alias ‘Pakhi’, is the militant outfit’s acting chief, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Muntasirul Islam.

“He is also the chief of the JMB’s military wing in Mymensingh and Sylhet. His father Mawlana Saidur Rahman was also a JMB leader,” he told bdnews24.com.

The others are Md Shafiqul Islam, Md Ruhul Amin, Md Imdadul Haque, Rafique Ahmed alias ‘Royal’, Md Mostafa, Md Shakhawat Ullah, and Md Ali Ashraf Rajib.

Jihadi books and leaflets were also seized during the raid, Islam said.

Shafiqul was in charge of the JMB’s Sylhet unit, while Ruhul and Imdad looked after the unit in Mymensingh town, Detective Branch Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said at a press briefing.

Mostafa, Shakhawat and Rajib were members of the organisation’s subordinate body, ‘Gayer-e-Ehsar’, the DB joint commissioner said.

Royal had a food shop at Mymensingh’s Churkhai. The organisation was being funded with money from this shop, he said.

“Many people think the JMB is inactive now. So, they had gathered at a boarding house in Uttara to plan a major sabotage,” he said.

Monirul said the organisation had three factions. Those arrested were the followers of Saidur Rahman, who has been in jail since 2005.

Saidur was, however, sending instructions to the activists through his lawyers or relatives, he said.

He also said they were trying to get in touch with the militant outfit, Islamic State, besides planning to free Saidur and Ansarullah Bangla Team leader Jasimuddin Rahmani.

He said the arrested would be questioned on the whereabouts of the others and if any of them had gone to Syria to join the IS. 

The JMB also developed 'active modules' in neighbouring West Bengal but an accidental blast in one of their secret bomb-making facilities in October last year blew the lid off its activity.

Some of their top leaders have been arrested in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.

India's National Investigation Agency has said Bangladesh agencies were helping them a lot in investigating the JMB networks.