‘Militants were trying to destroy key evidence’

Sensing that Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury  and his two aides had no plan to surrender and were destroying key evidence, law enforcers launched the offensive on the militant's den in Paikpara of Narayanganj Sadar upazila this morning, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Counter terrorism unit Sanwar Hossain said.

"After taking position around 6:30am, we requested the militants to surrender several times between 6:30am and 6:45am," Sanwar said while talking to journalists after the "Operation Hit Strong 27".

When they fired shots and started destroying evidence, the law enforcers understood that the militants would not surrender, he said.

"In the meantime, they destroyed evidence by setting fire to one of the rooms. They also broke laptops and mobile phones. This prompted us to launch the operation around 8:45am," Sanwar added.

He said police expected to take the chief alive from the raid as there is much information to gather from him. "It was our prime objective to arrest them alive," the police official said.

The militants had six grenades, from which, they hurled two at the law enforcers, he further added.

The three rented the top floor of the three-storey building, Sanwar said.

Tamim, mastermind of Gulshan café attack, and two other militants were killed during a joint forces' raid in the morning.