12 held with bombs in Ctg

Law enforcers arrested 12 people along with 29 petrol and 120 chocolate bombs in the city and Hathazari upazila of Chittagong today.

Hatahzari police arrested six people along with 18 petrol bombs, 120 chocolate bombs, huge amount of bomb-making materials like circuits and wires, four bottle of petrol and a laptop.

The arrest was made based on information given by Omar Faruk, Islami Chhatra Shibir President of Hathazari College unit, who were arrested yesterday.

Police are yet to disclose the identities of the detainees, our Chittagong correspondent reports this afternoon.

The haul came on eve of the third day of a 72-hour spell of hartal sponsored by the BNP-led 20-party on top its nonstop countrywide blockade that entered 29th day today.

Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained six persons with petrol bombs and sharp weapons in their possession from a slum at Tiger Pass area of the port city.

In a crackdown at around 2:00am, nine petrol bombs, two crude bombs, nine machetes and other sharp weapons were seized from Mollah’s shanty, said Major Tanvir Mahmud, deputy commander of BGB 28 Battalion.

“Six people were held from the spot for plotting subversive activities,” he said.

The detainees are Md Harun Mia, 18, of Noakhali; Md Osman Ghani, 30, of Chandpur; Md Munna, 33, of Chandpur; Md Sharif Khan, 35, of Netrokona;  Md Jahangir Alam, 38, of Gaibandha and Md Abul Kalam, 40, of Noakhali. They are all dwellers of a slum located near the local railway colony.

At least 48 people have died in the political violence that spiraled from the start of this year. Majority the deceased victims were innocents without reported ties to politics.

In the latest event of petrol bomb atrocity, at least seven people were killed and 16 burnt after alleged miscreants fire-bombed a bus on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway early today.