Eight people including Nabi Ullah Nabi, Dhaka South City BNP Joint Convenor, were arrested in connection with Friday’s arson attack on Benapole Express train in Dhaka’s Gopibagh area that left four people dead.
The arrestees are Dhaka South City BNP Joint Convenor Mohammad Nabi Ullah Nabi, Jubo Dal leader Kazi Mansoor Alam and Jubo Dal workers Md Iqbal Hossain Swapan, Md Russell, Delwar Hakim Biplab, Md Salauddin, Md Kabir and Md Hasan Ahmed.
At a press briefing held at DMP media centre, Additional Commissioner of the Detective Branch of Police Harun-Or-Rashid said they have arrested eight persons including Dhaka city south unit BNP joint convener Nabi Ullah Nabi and five Jubo Dal activists, for their suspected involvement in setting fire to the Benapole Express train.
He said the DB Lalbagh and Wari Division jointly arrested them including Kazi Mansoor Alam, one of the planners and manpower suppliers and Nabi Ullah, shelter and financier from different areas of the capital.
Nabiullah along with five others were directly involved in the arson attack on the train, he said.
The additional commissioner said that two days ago Dhaka South City Jubo Dal convener Khandkar Enam, member secretary Rabiul Islam Nayan, joint convener M A Ghaffer, joint convener Iqbal Hossain Bablu, office secretary Shahjahan Chowdhury and Jubo Dal leader Kazi Mansoor Alam joined a virtual conference.
In the meeting, the leaders said that the ward and thana Jubo Dal leaders and activists will carry out the arson attacks on vehicles, temporary election camps at convenient times during day and night.
They will also carry out explosion of cocktails around polling stations and vandalize properties and others.
The Jubo Dal leaders and activists will also distribute anti election leaflets to the people and force the voters from voting activities, the DB chief said.
In the virtual meeting, BNP leasers also mentioned that pictures and video of those arson attacks and vandalism will have to send upper tier.
“Efforts would be made to discourage people from coming to vote centers,” he added.
The meeting also decided that they will attract attention of the national and international media and instructed the activists to set fire on passenger train compartment from Mymensingh to Dhaka, especially through Narsingdi at convenient places and Kamalapur to Narayanganj route up and down.
At least four passengers were killed after the Benapole Express train was set on fire in the Gopibagh area of Sayedabad on Friday night.
The Dhaka bound train, carrying passengers from Benapole. Shortly before reaching Kamalapur railway station, the fire broke out in front of the Gopibagh kitchen market around 9:00pm.
Meanwhile, Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three people along with 58 bombs and bomb-making materials from a house in the Jurain Rail line area in Dhaka’s Jurain area early Saturday.
The arrestees were identified as Abul Kashem, 35, son of Joynal Abedin, Fazle Rabbi, 27, son of Abdul Quaderand Alamgir Hossain, 30, son of Abdur Razzak of Kishoreganj district.
Tipped off, a team of RAB conducted a drive at a house around 1:00am and recovered 30 crude bombs, 28 petrol bombs and some bomb making materials, according to a press release of RAB.
During the primary interrogation, the arrestees said a man identified as Aynal of Aliganj area in Narayanganj’s Fatullah directed them to make bombs.
They said a vested quarter has planned to carry out sabotage activities in the capital and create panic among people centering the January 7 election, according to the press release.