Panthapath Hotel Blast: Charge sheet filed against 14 accused

Police yesterday pressed charges against 14 activists of the banned militant outfit Neo-JMB in a case filed in connection with the hotel blast in the capital’s Panthapath area on August 15, 2017. 

Raju Ahmed, inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit and investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court yesterday.

Four members of a family – Abu Toab Khan (56), his wife Sadia Hosna Ali (46), son Akram Hosain Niloy (24) and daughter Tazrin Khanam Shuvo (29) – were among the accused in the case.

Tanvir Yasin Karim (32), Humaira Zakir Nabila (30), Nazmul Hassan (21), Abul Kashem Fakir (22), Abdullah Karim (41), Lulu Sardar (30), Tareq Md Adnan (22), Kamrul Islam Shakil (25), Abdullah Rony (32), and Tajul Islam Choton (17) are the other accused.

Of them, Shuvo, Sadia, Nabila, Tajul and Abdullah were earlier granted bail by different courts while the others are currently in jail.

During the investigation, all accused gave confessional statements before magistrates, admitting their involvement with the incidents.

Meanwhile, the case was transferred yesterday to Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal for future proceedings.

On August 15, 2017, a suspected suicide bomber of Neo-JMB was killed during an anti-militancy operation at a Dhaka hotel. Counter-terrorism officials claimed he had planned to carry out an attack on the crowd paying homage to Bangabandhu on National Mourning Day at Dhanmondi 32.