Bomb recovered beneath Motijheel metro station

Police have recovered an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed inside an umbrella beneath the Motijheel metro rail station in the capital.

The device was subsequently rendered safe by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) bomb disposal unit.

According to DMP sources, the device was found on the road beneath the Motijheel metro station at around 7:30 pm on Friday. The suspicious package, hidden inside an umbrella, caused panic among passers-by.

On information, police members quickly cordoned off the area before the DMP’s bomb disposal and disposal team arrived at the spot and successfully neutralised the device. Traffic on the affected road was temporarily suspended during the operation.

Niaz Mehdi, Additional Deputy Commissioner of the DMP’s Media and Public Relations Division, told Prothom Alo that the recovered device was an improvised explosive device (IED).

He said it had been safely removed and rendered inoperative. Police and other law enforcement agencies are now working to identify those responsible for placing the device inside the umbrella.

Witnesses said a loud explosion was heard while the bomb disposal team was carrying out the controlled detonation to neutralise the device.

Contacted for comment, MRT Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Siddiqi Tanzilur Rahman told Prothom Alo that he was occupied preparing an official report and was therefore unable to speak about the incident.

However, an officer on duty at the MRT Police Control Room confirmed that the device had been recovered from the roadside beneath the metro station. As a result, traffic movement on the adjacent road was temporarily halted, although Metro Rail services continued to operate normally throughout the incident.