Hunt on for 28 JMB men on the run in Gaibandha

Earlier, police received a list of 35 'hardcore' militants of JMB in Gaibandha district. They arrested seven of them: Mofazzal Hossain, ATM Taibur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam Jahid Raihan Simul, Sanowerul Islam, Khaliullah Jewel and Abdul Jalil.

But the remaining 28 militants in Gaibandha district still remained out of dragnet. Other than seven JMB men, police recently arrested another seven persons 'suspected' activists. They are Zaharul Huq Sarker, Moshraraf Hossain, Atiqur Rahman Bikul, Azizal Piyere Alam, Sohrab and Delwar Hossain. They have been placed on five days' remand.

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ATM Taibur Rahman, an official of Jute Department, was arrested last year in connection with the recovery of 24 'high speed explosive' from Bonarpara Railway Station. The anti-smuggling task force recovered 124 pieces of detonators from a Santaher bound train during a drive on December 12.

Another JMB man Amjad was held with Taibur, but both of them were later released on bail.

After the serial blasts on August 17, police again arrested Taibur Rahman from his Hashem Bazaar residence under Gaibandha Sadar upazila, but failed to trace whereabouts of Amjad.

Police and intelligence men also launched several drives to arrest two other listed JMB leaders in Gaibandha. They are Matin Mehdi and Abdul Aziz, both residents of Gaibandha Sadar and Shaghata Upazila.

Police arrested a 'listed' militant of Shaghoata Upazila, who was the matchmaker of Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, operational commander of Jangrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). During interrogation, police failed to extract from him details of JMB activities.

In Joypurhat district, police in a drive arrested two suspected JMB men-- Idris Ali, 60, and his son Abdul Jobber, 34, at Jamalganj bazar under Akkelpur Upazila in the early hours of September 19. They were arrested following confession of arrestee Mozammel Huq Chapol.

Joypurhat police said 26 people were rounded up after the serial blasts of August 17. Gathering information from the arrestees, they have launched a combing operation to nab the other militants.

Meanwhile, two days remand of Mozammel Huq Chapol and Hafez Shafiqul Islam, Muazzin of Joypurhat Ahle Hadith mosque ended. Police said that they got important information from them about the JMB militants and their involvement in the August 17 incident.

Another arrested militant Azizil Bari Mintu also confessed to police about his involvement in the serial blasts and said that he led a team that exploded bomb on Joypurhat court premises.

Police believe as many as 500 JMB militants are active in and around Joypurhat.