The elite force personnel raided MR Khan's Gopalpur residence early yesterday following an intelligence report that militants were holding a secret meeting there. But the militants managed to flee before the raid., Rab officials said.

Pabna camp-in-charge of Rab-12 Capt Taifur Mahbub said Khan's eldest son Mahmudur Rahman has direct links to Allahar Dal, and Matin Mehedi used visit his (Khan) house. But he did not inform them anything.

Mahmudur Rahaman was involved in threatening to blow up Hardinge Bridge at Pakshey and Ishwardi railway station recently, Rab suspects.

Earlier, Rab had picked up Mahamudur and three others around one and a half months back but they were freed due to lack of proper evidence of their involvement in militancy.

Capt Taifur referred to leaflets sent to local NGOs and the station master of Ishwardi railway station a few days back in the name of Jadid-al-Qaeda threating to blow up Hardinge Bridge and the station. He said they are now almost certain that absconding Allahar Dal and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members have regrouped under a new banner-- Jadid-al-Qaeda

The leaflets said around 100 dedicated and suicide squad members of 'Allahar Dal' have joined Jadid-al-Qaeda, which indicate its members are JMB or Allahar Dal militants.

"We are certain that Allahar Dal members held several meetings at MR Khan's residence. Now detained chief of the outfit Matin Mahadi had also held meetings at the house earlier,” Rab ASP Tanvir Arafat told The Daily Star yesterday.

Over 200 Jadid-al Qaeda members are still active in Pabna. These Islamist militants are holding meetings in several areas in the district, Rab sources said.

Meanwhile, MR Khan told journalists at Pabna camp of Rab that his son was involved in Allahar Dal earlier. He denied that militants held any secret meeting at his house.