Four runaway students among 7 held over suspected militant ties

The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested seven people, including four students who left their homes, over their suspected involvement in militancy.

The suspects were arrested in Dhaka and its surrounding areas, the RAB said on Thursday. The agency will hold a press conference about the matter later.

According to the RAB, seven college students from Cumilla and Dhaka left their homes on Aug 23. When they did not return, their families sought the police's help to locate their whereabouts.

Law enforcers later learnt that some of the youths were last seen in Chandpur.

After speaking to their families and taking their circumstances into account, law enforcement formed the impression that they had left as a result of their involvement in militancy.

The RAB and the police's Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) also joined the efforts to track them down.

The CTTC is working diligently to get to the bottom of the issue, according to its chief Md Asaduzzaman. "We can't say if they're members of JMB, Neo-JMB, Ansarullah or Al-Qaeda without interrogating them," he said.