One held as police recover ‘bomb’ inside pressure-cooker in Barishal

Police have recovered a suspected bomb concealed inside a pressure cooker in Barishal's Agailjhara Upazila.

Locals detained an e-rickshaw driver named Kawsar Khalifa at Purba Sujankathi intersection on Tuesday night and handed him over to police.

At a media briefing on Wednesday, Additional DIG of the Barishal Range Humayun Kabir said: “Around 11pm on Tuesday, Kawsar set off from Seral village in his e-rickshaw, carrying a bag, heading toward Taltola Bazar.

“A local leader of the Upazila Chhatra Dal grew suspicious upon seeing the bag in the e-rickshaw. When he instructed the driver to stop, Kawsar attempted to flee.

“Later, locals intercepted the e-rickshaw in Paschim Sujankathi and discovered a bomb inside the bag. They subsequently alerted the police.”

Police recovered a bomb inside a 2.5-litre pressure cooker wrapped in adhesive tape, Kabir said.

A six-member bomb disposal team from the Special Response Battalion (SRB) arrived from Dhaka on Wednesday and neutralised it.

Agailjhara Police chief Mohammad Masud Khan said SI Md Al Amin filed a case naming Kawsar, Fahim Daria, 26, and Nasir Gharami, 40, along with 30 to 40 unidentified people.

Kawsar was sent to jail by a court, the officer said.

The case accuses the suspects of possessing and storing explosives to destabilise the country, damage public and private institutions, and spread panic among the public.