Report in The daily star, Apr 26, 2017
Rajshahi: A large team of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police conducted a block raid on some 350 houses in the city’s Haragram Purbopara yesterday on suspicion of militant activities.
The raid ended around 7:00pm without any arrests being made and explosives seized.
Ifte Khayer Alam, assistant commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), said the raid was part of their regular anti-militancy drives in the city.
Law enforcers looked through every houses in the area, especially those rented out to tenants, he said, adding that they conducted the raid based on tenants’ information provided to local police stations by the house owners.
Police said a joint team of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) and Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) reached the area around 9:30am and stayed there for about an hour.
Another team of Rapid Action Battalion were also present in the area for an hour, said witnesses.
Cops barred journalists from entering the area and gave some local residents limited access to the area. Law enforcers asked people to stay indoors and not to come out unless there was urgency.
Police set up check posts at every entry points in the area which was virtually made off-limits to outsiders.
Plainclothes policemen kept a close watch on the area since 11:00pm on Tuesday. Around 9:30am yesterday, a large number of cops cordoned off the area.
Describing the raid as “unusual”, some local residents said all the houses were not searched.
Abdur Rashid, owner of a one-storey building, said police looked through his house in the morning.
However, Ataur Rahman, a retired staff of Rajshahi Sugar Mills, said law enforcers didn’t enter his house. He said he never saw such a raid in this peaceful neighbourhood.
Amir Jafar, deputy commissioner of RMP, said the police team took position at a two-storey house rented by Caritas Bangladesh around 11:30pm on Monday and raided houses nearby.
RMP AC Alam said they decided to conduct the drive suspecting militant activities in any of the houses there.
Additional District Magistrate Subrata Paul and Executive Magistrate Rumon Dey visited the area around 1:30pm.
Paul said law enforcers told him that they didn’t make any arrest.http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/nothing-found-massive-raid-1396465
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