Militants used hollow books to carry arms
The “Neo JMB” militants used to carry firearms inside hollow books to dodge law enforcers.
The trick came to light after police recovered such a book during their search at the Ashkona hideout of the outfit.
Police found a Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary with its pages cut in such a way that it could accommodate small firearms.
Law enforcers mentioned the trick of the militants' and the book in the case filed with Dakkhin Khan Police Sunday night following Saturday's operation “Ripple-24” conducted on the ground floor of three-storey building “Surya Villa”.
Sanwar Hossain, an additional deputy commissioner of Counter Terrorism unit, told The Daily Star that militants used to carry firearms to and from dens and operations this way.
Asked how they carried bombs and grenades, Sanwar said they used to collect raw materials and then make bombs and grenades in their dens.
An official of the CT unit said female militants were not properly trained in using suicide vests.
Militant suspect Shakira tried to detonate her suicide vest among policemen during the raid. She ended up blowing herself up and seriously injuring her daughter.
“It was 14-year-old Afif who helped Shakira wear the vest and gave her instructions on how to detonate it,” the official told The Daily Star wishing anonymity.
Afif was killed in an exchange of fire during the raid.
The case statement said militant suspect Trisha Moni exchanged chits with police during the raid in an attempt to negotiate their release. She had told police that they would surrender if police did not take any legal action against them.
In the case, police accused eight named and three to four unnamed people.
Trisha Moni, wife of “Neo JMB” leader Maynul Islam Musa, who is on the run; Jebunnahar Shila, widow of Major (retd) Jahid alias Murad, who was killed in an anti-militancy drive in Mirpur; Shakira, the suicide bomber; Afif Kaderi, who was killed during the operation; Musa, presently a key leader of the outfit; Shakira's husband Rashedur Rahman Suman; Selim; and Feroz are the named accused.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday granted seven-day remand each for Trisha Moni and Jebunnahar Shila, who surrendered during the raid with their two children.
Metropolitan Magistrate Meher Nigar Suchona passed the order after Inspector Saidur Rahman of the CTTC unit produced them before the court with 10-day remand prayers for each.
No lawyers represented the suspects. They had the two children in their laps.
Doctors of the forensic medicine department of Dhaka Medical College conducted autopsy on Afif's body yesterday afternoon and said Afif's body had multiple bullet holes.