313 identified as Hefajat’s donors

Detectives claimed to have identified at least 313 donors, who used to finance Hefajat-e Islam that carried out violence across the country late last month protesting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh.

Confirming the development, AKM Hafiz Akhter, additional commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of police, said, "We have so far identified 313 people who provided funds to Hefajat."

According to investigators, a large number of them are expatriate Bangladeshis and some of them are top BNP leaders.

Meanwhile, police sources said Mamunul Haque, who is now on remand, told that Hefajat wanted to turn Bangladesh into a country like Pakistan or Afghanistan through transforming the organisation into militant group Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan.

About Hefajat's funding and donors, Md Asaduzzaman, deputy commissioner (Motijheel division) of DB police, told The Daily Star that Hefajat leaders used to collect the funds from the donors for madrasa purposes. But they did not get any papers or documents where and how the funds were spent, he added.

He said, "We are now investigating to know how the funds were spent."

"We are also checking the background and sources of income of these donors and purpose of giving the funds to Hefajat," said the DC.

Regarding the transaction, DB Additional Commissioner Hafiz Akter said they have traced over Tk 6 crore transaction in two bank accounts of Mamunul, joint secretary general of the now defunct committee of the Qawmi madrasa-based organisation.

One of his account details shows that over 47 lakh has been transacted, he said while talking to reporters at his office yesterday.

Police are now verifying the source of the money, said the DB chief.

Mamunul is now in DB police custody on a 10-day remand in two cases.

DC Asaduzzaman, who is coordinating the interrogation, said police queried about the funds and Mamunul replied that the funds were for madrasas and mosques. But he failed to show any proof or documents that the funds were spent for madrasas, the DB official added.

The police officer said Mamunul was asked why madrasa funds came to his personal account when madrasas have separate accounts to receive donations. "Mamunul failed to give any specific answer in the connection."

Sources said around 21 Hefajat leaders and supporters have been arrested by DB police so far. Eight of them are now on remand.

In another development, DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Hafiz Akter said some Hefajat leaders, including Mamunul, former Dhaka city unit president Junaid Al Habib and Maulana Khaled Saifullah Ayubi, met at the wedding programme of then secretary general Junayed Babunagari's son and planned to remove its former ameer Shah Ahmad Shafi.

Later, they created an anarchy at Hathazari madrasa in Chattogram, where the Hefajat is based, and drove away Hefajat leaders loyal to Shafi, said the DB chief.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) submitted an investigation report to a Chattogram court on April 12, accusing Babunagari and some other Hefajat leaders of "creating an atmosphere that hastened Shafi's death".

But the PBI later dropped Mamunul's name from the report, according to a copy The Daily Star obtained.

FOUR DISTRICTS

Following a crackdown against top Hefajat leaders, law enforcers are now preparing a list of instigators of violence after analysing CCTV footage.

Anwar Hossain, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Chattogram range, told this paper yesterday that they were preparing a list, including names of students and teachers of different madrasas, who took part in the violence after analysing the footage.

"We have verified around 70 to 80 suspects' identities, whose names have been mentioned in the first information report (FIR) for violence in Chattogram. We may be able to say clearly about the list after the investigation," the DIG added.

On the other hand, a highly-placed source said police have now kept leaders of Hefajat's now defunct committee dealing with financial issues under surveillance and they would be arrested anytime over the misappropriation of funds that came from abroad.

A high official of an intelligence agency said they were now finalising the instigators' list in four districts -- Chattogram, Narayanganj, Brahmanbaria and Munshiganj. Once the list is done, Hefajat men from the four districts would face arrest, said the official.

Sources in Police Headquarters said around 142 cases were filed and over 879 people, mostly Hefajat supporters, were arrested for the violence that took place between March 26 and 28.

Meanwhile, police found Mamunul's "second wife" Jannat Ara Jharna in a house in the capital's Basila area yesterday.

Police conducted the drive after her father filed a general diary with Kalabagan Police Station.

Jannat was handed over to her father in the evening.

SIX MORE HELD

As part of the ongoing crackdown against Hefajat men involved in the three-day mayhem from March 26 in different parts of the country, especially in Brahmanbaria, police on Monday arrested six more Hefajat leaders and activists from the district.

Of the six arrestees, Md Obaidullah, secretary of the organisation's Ashuganj upazila unit, was held for his alleged involvement in violence in the upazila.

He is the principal of a madrasa in Ashuganj and the khatib of Boro Masjid in Ashuganj Bazar.

Ashuganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jabed Mahmud said Obaidullah was sent to jail yesterday after he was produced before a local court.

STUDENTS EXPELLED

Al Jamia Al Islamia Al Eunusiya Madrasa on Monday expelled 20 students for allegedly taking part in March 26's mayhem in Brahmanbaria.

The madrasa, locally called "Boro Madrasa", took the action amid the ongoing drive being conducted by the law enforcers to arrest those involved in the incident, reports our Brahmanbaria correspondent.