From banker to militant

The militant suspect who killed himself during Saturday's police raid at an Azimpur den had left his job at a private bank last year, saying he would no longer associate himself with an organisation that lends money on interest.

The man, Tanvir Kaderi, 39, used to go by different names in militant circle, including Shamshed, Jamshed, Shiper and Abdul Karim, according to police.

Tanvir left the job after working there for almost two years. He held a mid-level position at the bank's mobile banking division and drew a handsome salary, said some of his former colleagues.

“Working in financial institutions that do business by lending money on interest is haram [forbidden by Islamic law]. I am planning to start my own business,” an employee of the bank quoted him as saying.

When police raided the Azimpur house on Saturday evening, they found Tanvir lying on the floor with a deep cut on the left side of his throat, said the statement of a case filed in connection with the incident.

Later, an autopsy confirmed that it was a suicide.

In the drive, police arrested Tanvir's wife Abedatul Fatema alias Khadiza, 35, and his son Tahrim Kaderi alias Russell, 14.

Two other female suspects were also held. One of them is the wife of Marzan, who is allegedly one of the masterminds behind the Holey Artisan attack, reads the case statement.

At end of April this year, Tanvir told his parents, who live in Pashchim Batikamari village of Gaibandha, that he was leaving for Malaysia since he was offered a better job there, according to Gaibandha police.

After talking to the parents, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gaibandha Sadar Police Station AKM Mehdi Hasan yesterday told journalists that Tanvir had been out of contact with his family after April.

The official added that the family was also not sure whether they would receive the body for burial.

Tanvir was the youngest among three siblings who include two sisters.

Quoting his parents, the OC said Tanvir became “very religious” after performing hajj with his wife in 2014.

He often complained that there was no “Islamic culture” in Bangladesh and the way people practised Islam here was “flawed”.

His wife Fatema used to work for an international NGO, according to an official of the counterterrorism unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Ahsanul Haque, an assistant police commissioner of the counterterrorism unit, yesterday produced Tanvir's son before a juvenile court with a 10-day remand prayer.

Hearing on the prayer would be held on Sunday in the presence of the accused, said a court source. 

THE CASE STATEMENT

According to the case statement, Russell swooped on police officials with a knife as soon as they entered the first-floor apartment of the five-storey building.

Two wounded women were seen lying beside the body of Tanvir. They were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

One of them was Marzan's wife Afrin alias Priyoti, 25. Her father's name is mentioned as Abdul Jalil.

Another woman was named Shaila Afrin, 23, wife of a militant suspect, Bashar alias Basharuzzaman, son of Abul Hashem.  

The statement reads that the apartment was used by the militants to inspire the members of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

They stored money, arms, ammunition, and explosives in the apartment to conduct militant activities, it says. 

Soon after police began the raid, the suspects started attacking them with grenades and fired several shots, read the statement.

“After that they threw chilli powder on the policemen standing in front of the door of the apartment and began stabbing them with knives,” it read.

It was then that the police opened fire “in self defence.”

During the shooting, a woman stabbed a police man with a knife and managed to run out of the building crossing the main gate.

She was gunned down and sent to hospital by police after she attempted to flee, according to the case statement.

(Our Gaibandha correspondent contributed to this report)