Two months ago, a man in his 30's introducing himself as stone trader Hridoy Chowdhury rented Surya Dighal Bari, the East Shaplabagh house in the city where Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh chief Abdur Rahman and two of his accomplices remained trapped until 12:30am today. Hridoy, who said he hails from Mymensingh, has been living in the house with his daughter and wife since January 2, said Mainul Haque, who looks after the house, as his brother Abdul Haque, the landlord, lives in the UK.
Hridoy also claimed to have lived in the adjacent Mirapara area previously, Mainul told The Daily Star. "When I came to the house to collect the monthly rent, Hridoy did not allow me to enter the house. But, I thought he did it to maintain Purdah." Recently some people used to frequent the house, Mainul said, adding Hridoy claimed they were his business partners. According to Mainul, he secured a photograph and other details of Hridoy as a precautionary measure before renting out the house to him. He also informed the local union parishad members about the rental. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), which has been spearheading the blockade, arrested Mainul yesterday afternoon and taken Hridoy's photograph from him to ascertain the man's real identity. |