Three Azimpur female suspects admit terror link in court, police say

The three women, including slain militant suspect Tanvir Qaderi's wife, held during an anti-militant drive in Dhaka's Azimpur, have confessed to their involvement in militancy to the court, police say.

The female militant suspects gave the confessional statements to three separate metropolitan magistrates on Monday, police's prosecution department official Mirash Uddin told bdnews24.com.

The three are 'Neo-JMB leader' Tanvir's wife Abedatul Fatema alias Khadiza, suspected coordinator of Gulshan cafe terror attack Nurul Islam Marjan’s wife 'Afrin' alias 'Priyoti' and another ‘Neo-JMB leader' Basharuzzaman alias Chocolate’s wife Sharmin aka Shaila Afrin.

The judges ordered them into jail after recording their statements.

Ahsanul Haque, the officer investigating the case over the Azimpur raid, produced them before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court after a seven-day grilling earlier in the day and took permission to record their statements.

Several court officials said all the three faulted their husbands for their 'mistake'.

Fatema on Oct 9 publicly blamed her husband Tanvir at the court for their taking to militancy.

Police said Tanvir had been coordinating Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, the group blamed for the July 1 Gulshan cafe terror attack, since the killing of the suspected mastermind of the attack, Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, in a raid in Narayanganj in August.

Tanvir committed suicide during the raid in Azimpur on Sep 10, police said.