Crime & Justice

Militant convicts knew they’d break free soon

Handcuffs key, smartphones given to them early this month
Death-row convicts Moinul Hasan Shamim and Abu Siddiq Sohel. Photo: Collected

The condemned militants snatched from police on Sunday received the master key to the handcuffs and android phones inside the jail early this month.

They knew that they would not have to return to the prison cell after the court hearing on Sunday, investigators found.

Before they were taken to the court, they even gave away a TV set they managed to get smuggled into their prison cell, investigators found.

The convicts told their fellow Ansar al Islam members what colour of clothes they would be wearing on the day of the hearing so that the members could promptly recognise them, said officers of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police.

The officers got the information by interrogating the two other convicts who were caught while attempting to flee.

Meanwhile, Asaduzzaman, the chief of the CTTC, told The Daily Star that officers arrested an Ansar al Islam man who was a member of the team that attacked police and fled with the two convicts.

The arrestee, Mehedi Hasan Omi who goes by the alias Rafi, is an accused in a case filed with Kotowali Police Station in the capital over the snatching of the convicts, Asaduzzaman added.

Sources said Omi is from Sylhet and is a member of the military wing of Ansar al Islam.

On Sunday, convicts Moinul Hasan Shamim, who goes by the aliases Samir and Imran, and Abu Siddiq Sohel, who goes by the aliases Shakib, Sajid and Shahab, were snatched away from the court premises.

Both were sentenced to death for killing a publisher in 2015.

Sohel had the smartphones and a master key for the handcuffs taken inside the prison, said a CTTC officer, requesting anonymity.

A prison official allegedly knew about the smartphones, but didn't do anything as he had received bribes, according to investigators.

In another development, the home ministry on Tuesday transferred five prison officials. Deputy inspectors general Tohidul Islam was transferred from Dhaka division to Rangpur division, AKM Fazlul Hoque was transferred from Chattogram division to Dhaka division, Md Altab Hossain was transferred from Rangpur division to Chattogram division, and senior jail superintendents Abdul Jalil was transferred from Kashimpur High Security Jail to Rajshahi Central Jail and Subrata Kumar Bala was transferred from Rajshahi Central Jail to Kashimpur High Security Jail.

Contacted, Additional Secretary (prison) Habibur Rahman of the home ministry, who is the head of a four-member committee probing Sunday's incident, said, "We visited the crime scene, collected information and documents, and would visit the prison."

Finding out how the convicts communicated from jail is a major focus of the probe, he said when asked about the use of smartphones inside the prison.

Investigators said six members of Ansar al Islam's military wing members with four motorcycles directly partipated in the mission to snatch the convicts.

The date to snatch them was fixed when the fugitives were taken to the court for a hearing on November 1, said an officer involved in the investigation.

Two of them were standing in front of the court gate and four others were waiting with the motorcycles, the officer said, requesting anonymity.

After the hearing, Arafat, who was caught while attempting to flee, gave the signal to the two militants standing at the gate to attack the police. Then, the latter attacked the police constable with pepper spray and cut the rope tied to the handcuffs.

Arafat and Sabur tried to open the handcuffs with the master key but faced difficulties. Then they ran to one of the motorcycles and jumped on it.

As the biker tried to speed away, releasing the clutch too fast, the convicts fell to the ground. The locals then caught them.

Four to six other members of the outfit were present there as a backup team, added the official.

Officials believe that these militants are still hiding somewhere in Dhaka and waiting for a scope to go somewhere safer.

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Militant convicts knew they’d break free soon

Handcuffs key, smartphones given to them early this month
Death-row convicts Moinul Hasan Shamim and Abu Siddiq Sohel. Photo: Collected

The condemned militants snatched from police on Sunday received the master key to the handcuffs and android phones inside the jail early this month.

They knew that they would not have to return to the prison cell after the court hearing on Sunday, investigators found.

Before they were taken to the court, they even gave away a TV set they managed to get smuggled into their prison cell, investigators found.

The convicts told their fellow Ansar al Islam members what colour of clothes they would be wearing on the day of the hearing so that the members could promptly recognise them, said officers of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of police.

The officers got the information by interrogating the two other convicts who were caught while attempting to flee.

Meanwhile, Asaduzzaman, the chief of the CTTC, told The Daily Star that officers arrested an Ansar al Islam man who was a member of the team that attacked police and fled with the two convicts.

The arrestee, Mehedi Hasan Omi who goes by the alias Rafi, is an accused in a case filed with Kotowali Police Station in the capital over the snatching of the convicts, Asaduzzaman added.

Sources said Omi is from Sylhet and is a member of the military wing of Ansar al Islam.

On Sunday, convicts Moinul Hasan Shamim, who goes by the aliases Samir and Imran, and Abu Siddiq Sohel, who goes by the aliases Shakib, Sajid and Shahab, were snatched away from the court premises.

Both were sentenced to death for killing a publisher in 2015.

Sohel had the smartphones and a master key for the handcuffs taken inside the prison, said a CTTC officer, requesting anonymity.

A prison official allegedly knew about the smartphones, but didn't do anything as he had received bribes, according to investigators.

In another development, the home ministry on Tuesday transferred five prison officials. Deputy inspectors general Tohidul Islam was transferred from Dhaka division to Rangpur division, AKM Fazlul Hoque was transferred from Chattogram division to Dhaka division, Md Altab Hossain was transferred from Rangpur division to Chattogram division, and senior jail superintendents Abdul Jalil was transferred from Kashimpur High Security Jail to Rajshahi Central Jail and Subrata Kumar Bala was transferred from Rajshahi Central Jail to Kashimpur High Security Jail.

Contacted, Additional Secretary (prison) Habibur Rahman of the home ministry, who is the head of a four-member committee probing Sunday's incident, said, "We visited the crime scene, collected information and documents, and would visit the prison."

Finding out how the convicts communicated from jail is a major focus of the probe, he said when asked about the use of smartphones inside the prison.

Investigators said six members of Ansar al Islam's military wing members with four motorcycles directly partipated in the mission to snatch the convicts.

The date to snatch them was fixed when the fugitives were taken to the court for a hearing on November 1, said an officer involved in the investigation.

Two of them were standing in front of the court gate and four others were waiting with the motorcycles, the officer said, requesting anonymity.

After the hearing, Arafat, who was caught while attempting to flee, gave the signal to the two militants standing at the gate to attack the police. Then, the latter attacked the police constable with pepper spray and cut the rope tied to the handcuffs.

Arafat and Sabur tried to open the handcuffs with the master key but faced difficulties. Then they ran to one of the motorcycles and jumped on it.

As the biker tried to speed away, releasing the clutch too fast, the convicts fell to the ground. The locals then caught them.

Four to six other members of the outfit were present there as a backup team, added the official.

Officials believe that these militants are still hiding somewhere in Dhaka and waiting for a scope to go somewhere safer.

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গণঅভ্যুত্থানে আহতদের পুনর্বাসন ও ক্ষতিপূরণের দাবিতে শাহবাগে অবরোধ

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