A Chittagong court yesterday granted three-day remand for each of the five alleged Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) men who were arrested by Rab in the city's Uttar Kattali area with arms and ammunitions four days ago.

During the hearing of their remand prayers, the arrestees told the court that plainclothes men, introducing themselves as law enforcers, had picked them up about six months to one year ago, said court sources.

The arrestees are Tajul Islam, Nazim Uddin, Abu Jar Gifari, Nure Alam and Iftisham Ahmed Sami.

Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmul Hossain Chowdhury placed the five on remand in three cases lodged against them under the arms, explosive substances and anti-terrorism acts, said Nirmalendu Chakraborty, additional deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

One of the arrestees Iftisham Ahmed told the court he was picked up from a students' mess near the Monnaffer intersection of Rajshahi city on April 29.

He claimed Rab members on Thursday took him to a rented house in Uttar Kattali of Chittagong.  Later, he was handed over to Akbar Shah Police Station where he saw the four other arrestees for the first time.

Nazim Uddin said plainclothes men picked him up from the capital's Mirpur on May 25. Nure Alam said some men, introducing themselves as “officials of administration”, detained him in Ukiler Mor area of Nilphamari on April 11.

Gifari said he was picked up from Kushtia on July 28 while Tajul said he was detained at a madrasa in Manikganj on November 4 last year.

Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed, assistant commissioner (prosecution) of CMP, told the court that the five “Huji operatives knew how to concoct a story”. 

He argued that the five should be placed on remand for enabling the police to glean information from them about the militant outfit.

On Sunday, police lodged three petitions with the court seeking seven-day remand for each of the arrestees. The court fixed yesterday for hearing the petitions.