9 suspected militants held in Sylhet

Police have arrested nine suspected members of banned militant outfit Allah'r Dal in Sylhet.

The Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), with assistance from the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), led a drive and picked them up from a house in Arambag area around 10:30pm yesterday, said SMP Additional Commissioner Paritosh Ghosh.

The drive was led on a tip-off that the militants had gathered there to plot anti-state activities, he said while briefing journalists at his office this afternoon.

Those arrested are: Manik Akand alias Mehedi Hasan, 32, Jahir Uddin Babar, 20, Rasel Ahmed, 24, Kamal Ahmed, 25, Abul Kalam Azad, 20, Tomi Uddin Sumon, 30, Ashraful Islam, 29, Jewel Ahmed, 24, and Swapan Ahmed, 21.

A case has been started against them at Shahporan Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Paritosh said.

“They all are followers of Matin Mehedi, founder of the militant outfit. Among them, four are from Sylhet while the rest are from other districts,” ATU Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahiduzzaman said at the press briefing.

“One Sumon was named in a 2017 anti-terrorism case that accused seven Allah’r Dal militants. We are trying to confirm if the Sumon we have in our custody now is the same person,” he said.

Police recovered a register containing names of donors of the organisation, Tk 16,000, mobile phone sets, and some books on jihad during the drive.