JMB leader, condemned to death and hiding as mason, arrested

Police Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) has nabbed a local leader of the banned terrorist organisation Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), who is convicted of murdering a JMB member.

The arrested Sanowar Hossain had been hiding under the guise of Abdullah for the last 10 years and was working as a mason.

He was arrested from Nazipur municipality’s Choto Chandpur area inside Patnitala upazila in Naogaon at 9:00 PM on Saturday.

Sanowar was presented in front of the media by the Police in a press conference held at Naogaon Police Super's office at noon on Sunday.

ATU’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akiul Islam said in the press conference, Sanowar was a homeopathic physician. In 2000, he became a member of JMB and was the head of JMB in Chapai Nawabganj’s Nachol and Gomostapur. After JMB leader Shaykh Abdur Rahman was hanged in 2007, Maulana Saidur Rahman became the organisation’s head.

There was inner-conflict about the organisation’s leadership. Because of that conflict, on 26 April 2012, Sanowar and his accomplices slit the throat of JMB member Salman at the Khulsi Boria area of Nachol. Sanowar was arrested for the crime but later got out on bail.

On 25 November 2019, Chapainawabganj’s additional district and sessional judge court gave Sanowar and two other accused the death sentence.

According to the ATI, an team of the force got to know that Sanowar Hossain is hiding in the area. He is working as a mason. As per the information, they conducted a raid with help of the Naogaon police and nabbed Sanowar.