Dhaka, Aug 15 – A suspected member of Neo JMB was killed in a ‘suicide blast’ during an anti-militant drive at Hotel Olio International in the capital’s Panthapath area on Tuesday.The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam, son of Abul Khayer of Dumuria Upazila in Khulna.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque briefed media after the operation, ‘August Bite’.
Detectives prevented a possible attack on those marching towards Dhanmondi road No 32, marking the Mourning Day, said the IGP at the press briefing.
Saiful Islam was planning to carry out acts of sabotage during a Mourning Day rally, said the IGP, adding that there was a possibility of huge casualties had there been any terror attack.
After being confirmed about secret information on Monday night, a team of law enforcers cordoned off the four-storey hotel in the early hours spotting Saiful at room No. 301 on the 4th floor, he added.
As the ‘militants’ did not respond to the law enforcers’ call to surrender, around 9:44 am, they launched operation ‘August Bite’ after the militant had set off explosives in which Saiful, son of the imam of a mosque in Khulna, was killed.
At first, the militant blew off the door of his room with one explosive and later killed himself with another damaging a wall, furniture, balcony, glasses of the hotel, police said.
A security guard was injured with the splinters from the explosions.
An ex-madrasa student and former member of Islami Chhatra Shibir, Saiful studied Political Science at Khulna BL College when he got connected with Neo JMB, the police chief said.
CTTC chief Monirul Islam said they managed to get the identity and other details of Saiful from the register book of the hotel located at West Panthapath.
Saiful who arrived in Dhaka on August 7 in the name of searching a job had three explosives in his bag and he set off two of them, he added.
The law enforcers recovered the third explosive at 11:45 pm declaring the operation ‘August Bite’ closed, said the CTTC chief.
UNB Khulna correspondent reports: Police interrogated Saiful’s father Abul Khayer at Dumuria Police Station on Tuesday morning.
Quoting Abul Khayer officer-in-charge of the police station Md Habil Hossain told reporters that Saiful, an honours final-year student of Political Science department of Government B. L. College, had no contact with his family after he had left home for Dhaka looking for a job.
Abul Khayer is a treasurer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam Sahos union unit and imam of Nowakati Matherhat Jam-e-Masjid said the OC adding that Saiful was in the politics of Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Saiful Islam passed Dakhil examination from Ula Majhdia Dakhil Madrasha in 2011 and Alim from Khulna Alia Madrasha in 2013, said the OC. – UNB
