Meanwhile, Sylhet Kotwali police on Thursday arrested the landlord of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) member Delwar, who brought Akhtar Hossain to Sylhet from Jamalpur around a month ago for attacking on the Sylhet Speedy Tribunal judge.

Our Tangail correspondent Mirza Shakil reports: Local sources said a lot of strangers are seen wandering the remote char areas, including Hugra, Katuli and Nagarpur, along the Dhaleswari river, and the isolated hilly areas of Ghatail and forests of Madhupur and Sakhipur.

The strangers seem embarrassed when locals want to know their identities, locals said.

A number of JMB members arrested across the country have already confessed that they took military training in the forests and in a number of madrasas in Tangail.

Two persons, including a member of the intelligent unit of JMB, were arrested on June 13 in the Nagarpur char area soon after they blasted two bombs for experiment.

However, Tangail Superintendent of Police (SP) Mirza Abdullahil Baki said he has no information that militants are hiding in the char areas.

Meanwhile, the law enforcers have beefed up security in jails across the country following the JMB threat on Wednesday to blow up the Tangail District Jail in seven days if police continue arresting or harassing its activists.

“We have deployed intelligence members in all areas and requested the chairmen and members of the union parishad to inform the police if any stranger is found wandering about the area,” he said.

Our staff correspondent in Sylhet reports: JMB member Akhtar Hossain was sent to Sylhet Central Jail from the Osmani Medical College and Hospital Thursday night.

Police said JMB activist Delwar rented house No. 47 in Surabhi Residential Area in the city's Tilagarh area from Mujibur and arranged Akhtar's lodging there.

Police also recovered some money receipts from the house and arrested the landlord and his relative Zakir Hossain, suspecting their links to the attack on Judge Biplob Goswami.

Meanwhile, police on the second day of interrogation yesterday too could not glean any significant information from Jamaluddin, muajjin of Subidbazar Bankolapara mosque, and JMB suspect Habibur Rahman.

The police administration here has requested the city dwellers to keep detailed information about the tenants of all types of houses, rest houses and quarters.

Our correspondent in Netrakona writes: Kawsar Alam Sumon, JMB area commander for Netrakona, Mymensingh and Kishoreganj districts, who was arrested in Netrakona on October 13, was sent to jail on Thursday after expiry of his seven-day remand.

During the remand Sumon admitted that he played a major role in the August 17 blasts in Netrakona and that he acted on orders from JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, police sources said.

He named six JMB cadres--Raju, Manju, Shahin, Ilias, Sujon and Kafi--who blasted bombs at six points in Netrakona town on August 17. He also named JMB area commander in Mymensingh Kawsar Ahmed, with whom he coordinated the blasts in the three districts.

Sumon also told the interrogators that he sent 40 JMB leaflets by post to different offices, including the offices of deputy commissioner (DC) and SP of Netrakona, on August 17 evening.

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Netrakona Sadar Police Station Samiul Alam said they have raided different areas of the district to arrest the JMB cadres named by Sumon.

UNB adds: Informed by the local people, the Detective Branch of police recovered some bomb materials, including batteries, electronic circuit and electric wires, kept in a bag from the cornice of a shop at Shambhuganj Bazar in the town on Thursday evening.

The shop owner named Sohag has been absconding.