Moniruzzaman used to rent houses for ARSA members in Mymensingh, suspect police

At least one of the 10 people arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), including the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), is a Bangladeshi national.

The suspect, Moniruzzaman, is from a remote char area in Ishwarganj upazila of Mymensingh.

According to police, ARSA members allegedly rented houses in Bangladesh through Moniruzzaman. However, his family and local residents expressed shock upon learning of his suspected involvement with the armed Rohingya group.

RAB announced the arrests following separate raids in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, and Mymensingh on Tuesday.

Moniruzzaman, 24, is the son of Atiqul Islam from Char Algi village in Uchakhila union, Ishwarganj. His father, a teacher at a Qawmi madrasah in Tarundia union’s Konapara village, has six children - four sons and two daughters.

Moniruzzaman completed his Hifz studies at a Qawmi madrasah in 2016 and later enrolled in a madrasah in Narsingdi as a Maulana.

However, his education was disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic. He later took up teaching at a madrasah in Dhaka, and according to his relatives, also worked at an institution in Tongi of Gazipur.

Relatives and local people first came to know about Moniruzzaman’s arrest through media reports. He was among six individuals apprehended in Siddhirganj of Narayanganj.

According to a case filed at Mymensingh Kotwali Model police station, Moniruzzaman lived in an apartment in the Bhoomipalli residential area, where ARSA chief Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi was also arrested.

When this correspondent visited Char Algi village in Ishwarganj around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, neighbours were seen gathering at Moniruzzaman’s family home upon hearing the news.

Investigations revealed that Monir had rented the house where the arrested ARSA members were staying - located in the Garden City building at Notun Bazar intersection in Mymensingh.

He had submitted a copy of his national identity card during the rental process. When shown a photocopy of Moniruzzaman’s NID and pictures of the arrested individuals, his younger brother, Muttakin Hasan, confirmed his identity.

Muttakin Hasan told Prothom Alo that Monir was his elder brother and would visit home occasionally. He last came home a day before Ramadan began, bringing groceries for the family but left the following day.

While Monir worked at a madrasah in Tongi, he also lived in Mymensingh, though his family was unaware of his activities there, he added.

Muttakin mentioned that Monir once planned to go abroad but was diagnosed with a health condition during a medical check-up, which prevented him from traveling despite holding a passport.

He was not aware about his brother’s alleged ties to ARSA, stating that Monir rarely communicated with family but would send money when needed.

Monir’s father was not at home during the visit, as he was teaching at a madrasah in Konapara. Speaking over the phone, he told Prothom Alo that he had no knowledge of how his son became involved with ARSA.

Mymensingh Kotwali Model police station officer-in-charge (OC) Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan confirmed that Moniruzzaman had rented the house in Mymensingh but was arrested from Siddhirganj in Narayanganj.

Authorities suspect that ARSA members used Monir to secure rental properties in Bangladesh, he added.

Meanwhile, Ishwarganj police station OC Obaidur Rahman stated that Moniruzzaman was rarely seen in the area, and even local residents knew little about him. Law enforcement will investigate his activities further as part of the ongoing probe.

* This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Farjana Liakat