How ARSA members lived in busy Mymensingh locality
Rapid Action Battalion members have arrested 10 members including the chief of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an armed group of Rohingyas, from Siddhirganj of Narayanganj and Mymensingh.
Of them, four were arrested from a building located at the busiest area of Mymensingh town, Natun Bazar intersection.
Prothom Alo talked to other residents of the 15-storey building about how the ARSA members rented a flat there and how their lifestyle was.
Local people said the RAB members conducted a raid at the Garden City building from around 1:00 am to 2:45 am Monday. Two women, and two men were arrested from a flat on the 9th floor there. A child was also with them.
A certain Mazharul Islam is the owner of the building. He lives at Palash in Narsingdi. The building’s security Nizam Uddin rented out the flat to the ARSA members.
Speaking about this after the arrest of the ARSA members, he said two persons, identifying them from Tarundia union in Ishwarganj, wanted to rent the flat watching a to-let notice four months ago. One of them said his name is Maniruzzaman.
The security guard is also from Ishwarganj.
He further said that believing the two, he helped them communicate with the building owner and rented out the flat at Tk 20,000 per month.
The security guard said he asked for copies of their NIDs but they were dilly-dallying. Later Maniruzzaman gave him a photocopy of an NID which showed his home was Char Algi in Uchakhila Union, and father’s name was Md Atikul Islam.
Another security guard Rafiqul Islam said though two men were arrested from the flat, they saw only one of them earlier. They knew that man used to sell sea fishes from Chattogram to a local market
Though they initially said that they were from Tarundia, he did not bother with that.
Security guard Nizam Uddin said the two identified them as two brothers at that time and their father works at a madrasah in Gazipur. They also said that their parents will live at the flat. An elderly person used to live in that flat. He used to move slowly when he would come down.
According to Nizam Uddin, he never went inside the flat as the women used to maintain purdah. The residents of the flat did not generally go out much. Only “Maniruzzaman” used to buy groceries. This was how they lived for the last four months.
Rafiqul Islam, another security guard at the building, said often a 14-15-year-old boy, whom Maniruzzaman called his nephew, used to come with him to the flat.
When he was shown photos of the arrested four people, he said Maniruzzaman was not there.
When he was shown the photograph of ARSA chief Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, both the security guards claimed that they did not see him coming to the building.
Security guard Rafiqul Islam said though two men were arrested from the flat, they saw only one of them earlier. They knew that man used to sell sea fishes from Chattogram to a local market.
The two guards also said that they knew the person who identified him as Maniruzzaman. Neither he nor the young adult whom he called his nephew and his “father” were among the arrested persons.
Anisur Razzaq Bhuiyan, a resident from 10th floor of the building told Prothom Alo the residents of that flat did not talk or had any kind of communications with other residents of the building. They did not even open their flat’s gate.
2 cases in Mymensingh
RAB-11 nayek subedar Harun ar Rashid filed two cases against 10 people at Kotwali Model police station around 10:00 pm on Tuesday, under the acts of anti-terrorism and illegal border crossing.
The accused are - Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, 48, Mostak Ahmed, 66, Maniruzzaman, 24, Salimullah, 27, and his wife Mst Asmaul Husna, 23, Asmat Ullah, 24, Md Hasan, 43, Most Shahina, 22 and a 15-year-old young adult and a 17-year-old girl.
Police said three of the four arrested from Mymensingh are siblings. They are Asmat Ullah, Shahina Akter and the 17-year-old girl.
Though they are residents of Kaunia Beel area of Arakan state in Myanmar, they used to live in Thyangkali Rohingya camp. Another arrested is Md Hasan, who is originally from Khunkun area of Arakan state and used to live at Kutupalong Rohingya camp.
The case statement said that the law enforcement seized Tk 3 million in cash, 12 bhoris gold jewellery, foreign currency, 15 nameplates of ARSA Army, and some military equipment from their possession.
Mymensingh Kotwali Model police station officer-in-charge Md Shafiqul Islam said two separate lawsuits have been lodged against 10 on charges of anti-state activities. Police will seek 10-day remand for each of them in the cases.