PBI final report says all accused died in anti-militant drives
In its final investigation report, Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has confirmed death of two attackers and the key planner of the twin grenade blast on a crowd at Atia Mahal of Shibbari area in Sylhet city on March 25, 2017.
The attackers, Ashraful Alam Nazim, 22 and an unidentified male, 28, were killed in an anti-militant drive at Barahat area in Moulvibazar on March 29-April 1, 2017.
The key planner Lokman Hossain alias Mosaraf Hossain alias Sohel, 38, also died along with his family members in a suicide blast during another anti-militant drive at Nasirpur area of Moulvibazar on March 29, 2017, the report said.
PBI also said all three were active members of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
On July 22, PBI Inspector Dewan Abul Hossain filed the final investigation report to the court of 2nd Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Saifur Rahman.
The court forwarded the report to Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court after hearing on August 20. The final report will be presented before the court on October 20.
Bangladesh Army led the anti-militant drive, code-named “Operation Twilight”, at a militant hideout in Sylhet’s Atia Mahal from March 24 to March 28, 2017.
On the evening of March 25, 2017, while the drive was ongoing, two grenades were blasted around 400 metres away from Atia Mahal, which claimed seven lives including Rab intelligence chief Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad and two police officers.
Police filed two separate cases, one regarding the militant hideout and another for the twin grenade blast, with Moglabazar Police Station accusing unnamed people after the operation.
Following an order of Police Headquarters on May 9 that year, PBI took over the cases from Moglabazar Police Station and started investigation from May 13.
PBI Inspector Dewan Abul Hossain, investigating officer of the grenade blast case, said, “After thorough investigation of the case, we found that three militants were involved with the attack. They were hiding in two different hideouts at Moulvibazar and came to Shibbari during the drive at Atia Mahal to blast grenades outside to divert the drive.”
After the drive at Atia Mahal, two more drives were conducted at two militant hideouts in Moulvibazar, where these three accused died, he said.
“As all three accused are dead, we submitted the final report to the court”, he said.
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