Police cordon off house on suspicion of being a militant den in Netrokona

Police have cordoned off a house suspecting it to be a militant den at Bhasapara area under Kailati union in Netrokona Sadar upazila.

A team of police cordoned off the two-storied building after 1:00pm Saturday.

Police suspect that arms and explosives used for militant training might be stored there.  Police claimed to have recovered arms from the house.

Locals said a person named Abdul Mannan constructed the house around 20 years ago. Mannan is a teacher of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET). He wanted to establish a college there but couldn’t. He rented out the house two years ago.

Locals said after being rented out, the boundary walls of the house were raised further and around 20 CCTV cameras were set up along the wall. No locals are allowed entry inside the house.

Police sources said a team led by Abul Kalam, Netrokona Model police station’s officer-in-charge, raided the house this afternoon following a tip-off. A foreign pistol, 17 rounds of bullets, a huge number of toy guns, two walkie-talkies, a pair of handcuffs, a huge number of jihadi books, among other things, were recovered from a room of the house.

Police suspect explosive materials might be stored at the house.

Upon visiting the area at around 6:15pm, Netrokona’s police superintendent Md Fayez Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the counter terrorism unit of police has been informed that the house is a suspected militant den where they are trained. Details can be learnt once bomb experts enter the house.

Asadullah Chowdhury, additional inspector general of police of Mymensingh division, said expert teams of counter terrorism unit and SWAT have been summoned. Details could be learnt once they reach the spot.