By Mohiuddin Molla & Arifur Rahman Rabbi
Comilla/Dhaka: Law enforcers on Wednesday discovered a den of terrorists at south Bagmara village in Kotbari of Comilla Sadar south upazila, while two other suspected militant hideouts in Borohat and Nasirpur areas of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila had already been cordoned off the same day.
They have laid a siege to the suspected hideout, Superintendent of Police of Comilla Shah Abid Hossain told reporters.
Preferring to be anonymous, an official of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the law enforcers discovered the den after gleaning information from militant suspects who were recently arrested during their hunts for militants.
One or more militants might be at the hideout, he suspected, adding that they were staying on the ground floor of the three-storey building.
“We have cordoned off the house and are suspecting that at least one militant is inside, in possession of a large amount of explosives and weapons,” Abid said.
According to police sources, the building that houses the hideout is owned by Delwar Hossain, a pickup-van driver by profession.
As Delwar, who had previously been in Saudi Arabia for years, was not present there at the time, the police detained his brother Saddam Hossain for quizzing.
Meanwhile, people have been evacuated from the house and other adjoining buildings as the police are mulling over a raid on the den.
A team of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) already started their journey from Chittagong to conduct an operation, Deputy Inspector General (Chittagong range) Md Shafiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.
Law enforcement agencies have accelerated their anti-militancy drives across the country after they had busted several such hideouts in different areas of Chittagong and Sylhet in last the two weeks.
EC wants raid after Comilla city polls: As Comilla City Corporation is slated to go to the polls on Thursday, the Election Commission has asked law enforcers not to conduct any operation at the hideout before the election ends.
Sources at the EC said any operation before or during the polls might create a panic among voters, hampering the election.
“Although it is a concern of law enforcement agencies, the chief election commissioner asked them to keep the area restricted and wait until the election is over,” EC Secretary Muhammad Abdullah told the Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday.
The police officials concerned informed him that they would not conduct any drive until the situation demanded, Abdullah added.
The secretary went on to say: “People’s safety obviously gets priority over anything else. But as everything still seems to be under control, drives can be conducted after the polls.”http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/03/29/militant-den-detected-comilla/
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