4 JMB suspects caught after ‘shootout’ with police at Rangpur

Four suspected members of the banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have been arrested after a ‘shootout’ at Rangpur Sadar, police say.

Rangpur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 Nov 2016, 05:34 AM
Updated : 6 Nov 2016, 06:28 AM

The men were caught after the 'encounter' in an abandoned brick field at Chandanpat Union’s Shahabazpur around 3am Saturday, said Detective Branch OC Jahidur Rahman Chowdhury. 

They four were identified as – Ershad Ali, 35, Belal Hossain, 45, Al-Amin, 23 and Ashraful Islam, 27.

They all hail from Poshua Tangailparha, a village in the Itakumari Union of Rangpur’s Peergacha Upazila.

“These men assisted JMB leaders including Masud Rana who is charge sheeted for the murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur, the killing of shrine attendant Rahmat Ali and the attempted murder of Bahai leader Ruhul Ali,” said the DB official. 

Raihan Kabir, who was among the nine militants killed in a Kallyanpur flat during a police raid, was from Tangailparha.

He was also an aide to JMB Commander Masud Rana, according to the police.

Detective Branch and Kotwali police raided the brick field after receiving a tip-off about men who had assembled in a tin-shed hut next to a pond in the area to ‘plan attacks’.

“They sensed our presence and lobbed several hand bombs at us. We fired back. The JMB members tried to flee but we chased them down and caught them.”  

The suspects were found in possession of a locally-manufactured revolver, some ammunition, four hand bombs, machetes, Chinese axes and jihadi literature, police said.

Four police personnel were injured during the raid, said OC Jahidul.

They are DB SI Masud, Constable Asad , Kotwali police SI Mamun and Constable Khalek.

They were being treated at the police hospital.