Large quantity of chemicals found at Jhenidah ‘Neo JMB’ militant den

• Huge quantity of chemicals recovered
• Pistol, bullets, jihadi books also found
• House owner a ‘militant’
• He converted to Islam in 2012
• Operation ‘Southpaw’ continues

Police today recovered at least 17 large plastic containers of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical used to make bombs, and bullets from the suspected Neo JMB militant hideout in Jhenidah Sadar upazila.

The chemical containers were seen brought out from a house at Porahati village by rickshaw-vans, our Jhenidah correspondent reports quoting Deputy Inspector General of Khulna range Didar Ahmed.

READ more: 'Neo JMB' den busted in Jhenidah

A 7.65 foreign made pistol, seven bullets, 15 to 16 jihadi books were also recovered from the house around 10:00am, the DIG said.

The recovery was made after members of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit resumed their operation for the second day at the house in the morning.

Also READ: Owner a converted Muslim

Under the code name “Southpaw”, law enforcers started to dismantle a tin-shed house there around 9:15am.

Codenaming their operation “Southpaw” on the second day, law enforcers resume their drive at a suspected militant hideout of “Neo JMB” in Sadar upazila of Jhenidah on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Photo: Star

A team of 30 counterterrorism members led by ADC Nazmul Hasan is conducting the operation in presence of Deputy Inspector General of Khulna range Didar Ahmed.

However, police yesterday claimed that suspected militants already fled the spot before the CTTC began the drive.

Owner of the house Abdullah, a suspected militant, converted to Muslim from Hinduism in 2012, according to police.

The CTTC members yesterday also claimed to have recovered a huge stash of explosives and a 9mm pistol from the den in a house at Porahati.

Codenaming their operation “Southpaw” on the second day, law enforcers resume their drive at a suspected militant hideout of “Neo JMB” in Sadar upazila of Jhenidah on Saturday, April 22, 2017. Policemen were seen cordoning off the area yesterday. Photo: Star

The explosives include three suicide vests, a pressure cooker bomb, around 20 plastic containers of bomb-making chemicals and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and detonators.

Last month, CTTC officials busted five hideouts of “Neo JMB” -- two in Chittagong, one in Sylhet and two in Moulvibazar. Nineteen people, including five children and five women, were killed in those incidents.

According to police, 16 of them were killed in suicidal blasts.

“Neo JMB”, which is believed to follow the ideology and strategy of Islamic State (IS), was responsible for the Gulshan café attack. Twenty-two people, including 17 foreigners and two police officials, were killed in the attack, said police.  

Since the attack, around 57 "Neo JMB" operatives have been killed in different drives.