RAB has arrested 21 "militants" in possession of large amounts of bombs, explosives and arms, in Hathazari, Banshkhali and Halishahar of Chittagong. However, RAB has not ascertained as yet to which organisation they belong. None of them were taken on remand for interrogation.
In a latest development, four people were arrested from a house in Basundhara residential area of Halishahar, Chittagong and 150 kg of explosives, 76 live bombs, a large amount of bomb-making equipment, jihadi books as well as diaries of Islami Chhatri Sangha were recovered there. Six persons were accused in this connection.
In the case, Azizul Huq and Parvez were said to be "absconding". RAB even claimed to have carried out an operation in the rugged terrain of Banshkhali. Yet Azizul has been in Chittagong Central Jail for the past two months. Police arrested him on 7 January and he was sent to jail by the court on the next day.
In connection to the recovery of bombs and explosives from the house in Halishahar, RAB arrested Faizul Huq, son of Maulana Abul Kalam of the village Magnama in Pekua upazila, Cox's Bazar, his daughter Rahima Akhter, grandson Zahidullah as well as Abdul Hai of Moralganj, Bagerhat. The absconding (actually in jail) Azizul is Faizul's brother. And Parvez is Azizul's wife's elder brother.
Shahjahan Kabir, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Halishahar police station, on Monday evening told Prothom Alo, "The case complaint has filed on behalf of RAB. It is not for us to say whether the accused is absconding or in jail."
RAB-7 Chittagong's spokesperson and assistant director Shaheda Sultana said she would look into the matter and then comment.
Twelve persons were arrested in Hathazari, on suspicion of being militants. An operation was carried out in the Banshkhali hills, based on information given by the militants. From the statements of the militants arrested in Hathazari and Banshkhali, the bombs and explosives were recovered from the house in Halishahar. The three incidents are connected, according to RAB.
Senior supervisor of Chittagong central jail Mohammed Sagir said, police arrested Azizul Huq, son of Maulana Abul Kalam of village Magnama, Pekua thana, Cox's Bazar, on 7 January in from of the jail gate, on charges of damaging property. He was sent to jail on court orders on 8 January. He has been in jail since.
The four arrested persons were brought to court yesterday. Speaking in the court premises, Abdul Hai said he was an auto-rickshaw driver. He said, "On Thursday morning Faizul phoned me and said that Parvez would be coming to their house at Halishahar. He asked me to go there too. When I arrived there, I saw two vans loads of sacks filled with shoes and other items in paper packets. I helped Parvez to take these up to the house. Then next day I took my vehicle to that house to take Faizul's mother (Morsheda Begum) to the doctor. RAB caught me when I arrived there." Faizul's father teaches his son Arabic and that is how he knows them.
Faizul Huq, speaking in the court premises, said, he lived in a colony at Agrabad with his wife. His mother and father lived in Halishahar. When Parvez phoned him, he asked Abdul Hai to come to Halishahar too.
Faizul said that RAB arrested him in front of his elder sister's house in Teribazar on Friday afternoon.
When asked why she didn't inform the police when the sacks were left in their house, Faizul's sister Rahima Akhter said that Parvez had left them there. He had said he would take the sacks the next day. But on Friday RAB came and arrested them. She admitted being involved with Islami Chhatri Sangha.
Faizul's father Abul Kalam and mother Morshed, speaking in the house at Halishahar yesterday, said, Parvez brought these sacks full of things to their house on Thursday at 11 in the morning. He was supposed to take these away the next day.
Abul Kalam said he had two sons, Faizul Huq and Azizul Huq. Two of his three daughters were married. Faizul was an office assistant at Ma O Shishu Medical College in Agrabad.
Abul Kalam stated that Azizul was a salt, fish and bamboo trader. He would run the family and household expenditures with this income. He did not know whether Azizul was in jail or absconding. He said Azizul had been involved with Chhatra Shibir in the past but was not with Jamaat at present. He said he was no longer involved with Shibir either.
Faizul's wife Farzana Yasmin said, her husband had left the house at 11 in the morning and hadn't returned. She heard that RAB had arrested him from Teribazar in the afternoon that day.
ASM Moshtaq Ahmed, principal of Agrabad Ma O Shishu Medical College, said that Faizul had been temporarily dismissed.
Chittagong Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Syed Mashfiqul Islam yesterday ordered that the four arrested persons be sent to jail. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Kazi Muttaqi Ibnu Minan said, the remand hearing did not take place because of the hartal.