Banned Chhatra League leader arrested after arms cache found
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Police arrested a leader of the banned Chhatra League after the recovery of a large quantity of cocktails, torches, sticks, and kerosene from the Ansar Camp area of Paikpara, adjacent to Mirpur-1 in Dhaka.
Mirpur Model Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Imran Hossain confirmed the matter. The arrestee has been identified as Al Mahmud Tarek, 42, former central organizational secretary of Chhatra League and former general secretary of Dhaka College Chhatra League.
Police said leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliate organizations were preparing for a procession and attempting to detonate cocktails. Sensing the presence of the police, they fled the scene.
The cocktails and other equipment were recovered at 12:30 am on Thursday. Later, around 1:30 am, a drive was conducted in the Love Road area of Mirpur, and Tarek was arrested.
According to DMP sources, SI Imran learned that cocktail-like objects and torch sticks were lying on the road in the Ansar Camp area. Upon learning of the matter, OC Hafizur arrived at the scene and informed the authorities. Later, members of the DMP Special Response Unit (SRU) were notified.
Police added that an SRU team arrived at the scene at 1:45 am and conducted a search. At that time, 15 cocktails were recovered from three paper bags, and five more cocktails were recovered from the road. In addition, around two liters of kerosene oil in two bottles, 41 torch sticks, and stacked soft corksheets were recovered.
Police initiated steps to neutralize the recovered cocktails. Later, around 2:30 am, 20 cocktails were destroyed in two phases through controlled explosions after digging a hole in an open area of an under-construction building belonging to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works near Hakkani Gali in Kallyanpur, Mirpur.
