6 of 7 'JMB men' confess to committing robbery

Six out of seven suspected members of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who were arrested on October 17 in the capital yesterday confessed to their involvement in robberies.

Six separate metropolitan magistrates in Dhaka recorded the statements of alleged JMB members Kashem alias Kawsar, Nazmul Hasan alias Nayan alias Noresh, Rashed, Sentu Hawlader alias Jahid, Abu Bakkar Siddique alias Shubhra and Abdul Based.

They were produced before the courts on the fifth day of their six-day remand in connection with a robbery case filed with Tejgaon Police Station on July 21.

One of the arrestees, Jewel Sarker alias Sohrab, who was also arrested with the six during a raid at a Mohakhali residence on October 17, did not give any confessional statement.

One of the arrestees, Nazmul Hasan alias Nayan alias Noresh, said he entered a Tejgaon house with seven to eight others and committed the robbery under the instructions of JMB high command, court sources said.

He, however, claimed that he does not know the high command.

Meanwhile, the six alleged JMB members were taken on a five-day fresh remand in two cases one over robbery and the other over arms filed in June and October respectively with Banani Police Station.  

After their arrest, police claimed that while trying to regroup under a new leader, the “mainstream” JMB is gathering funds through robbery, abduction and mugging to get top leaders released either on bail using renowned lawyers or through ambushes using firearms and explosives.

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the seven and seized 67 tolas of gold, Tk 6 lakh, four pistols, 10 bullets, nine machetes, 10 cellphones and two computers and some other things.

Death row convict Salauddin Ahmed alias Salehin, who escaped following a JMB ambush on a police van in Mymensingh's Trishal on February 23, 2014, is operating JMB as its acting Ameer for nearly three months from India, claimed police.