The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit has confirmed that the two suspicious bags found at the Mirpur-10 and Farmgate metro rail stations in the capital contained no explosives.
The information was disclosed in a press release issued by the DMP's Media and Public Relations Division on Saturday afternoon.
The two stations were temporarily closed after the suspicious bags were discovered at around 12:00 pm. They reopened at around 1:40 pm, and metro services have since returned to normal.
Police said the suspicious bag found at Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station was first examined using an X-ray scanner, which revealed a tin-like object inside.
The bag was then opened safely and found to contain a tin of chewing tobacco (zarda) and betel leaf. No explosives or other hazardous materials were found inside.
The Bomb Disposal Unit also examined the abandoned sack found in the Farmgate area under Tejgaon Police Station.
It, too, contained no explosives or dangerous materials. The DMP said there was no reason for public concern and assured residents that police remain on the highest alert to ensure public safety.
MRT Police Inspector Md Sohel Chowdhury told Prothom Alo at around 3:00 pm that metro services were operating normally.
Earlier, at around 12:00 pm, police reported the discovery of two suspicious bags at the two stations. Their operations were temporarily suspended, and metro trains passed through without stopping during that period.
Police had earlier said several people spotted a suspicious bag on the first floor of Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station. At around the same time, another suspicious sack was found beside a pillar on the ground floor of Farmgate Metro Rail Station.
Mirpur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Hafizur Rahman told Prothom Alo in the afternoon that police cordoned off the area after being informed by the metro rail authorities, while the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit carried out the inspection.
Ibne Mizan, deputy commissioner of police in the Tejgaon Division, said the suspicious sack found beside a pillar beneath Farmgate Metro Rail Station had also been examined by the Bomb Disposal Unit.