Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Ehsar members Arifur Rahman Hasib alias Akash and Jahirul Islam alias Zahir have confessed to their involvement in bomb blasts in Gazipur on November 29 and on August 17 respectively. They gave confessional statements before First Class Magistrate Hasanul Matin in Tangail under Section 164 on Wednesday. In Sherpur, JMB district commander Mujahidul Islam Sumon was placed on three days' fresh remand when he was produce before court on Thursday on expiry of his 10-day remand. Akash of Chackpara village in Sreepur upazila in Mirzapur district was arrested in Chittagonj. He was shown arrested in Tangail after police, acting on his confession, on February 1 arrested Jahir and JMB cadres Shahadat Hossen alias Imran from Namasola village in Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur district and Mahmudur Rahman alias Russel from Asgana village in Mirzapur upazila in Tangail and recovered two grenades along with four detonators and 33 lead splinters from a bush near Russel's house. On the same day, SI Tapash Chandra Pandit of Mirzapur police station in Tangail and SI Shakil Ahmed of Gazipur Sadar police filed two cases accusing the five militants. Akash admitted that he took part in bomb blasts at Gazipur Bar Association office on November 29.
Jahir confessed to his involvement in the August 17 serial bomb blasts at Gazipur road-intersection last year. Jahir told the court that he was recruited by Gazipur JMB commander Nizam Uddin Reza and become an Ehsar member of JMB within few days. Reza is also a charge sheeted accused in Gazipur bomb blast case.
Earlier, Imran and Russel in confessions before a magistrate court under Section 164 said they got bombs from Reza and blasted those in Gazipur on August 17. Reza is yet to be arrested. Police said they are hunting for Reza hailing fromf Mollarhat upazila in Bagerhat district. Imran and Russel said they were students of Kaliakair Senior Fazil Madrasa.
Quoting the arrested JMB cadres, sources in Gazipur and Tangail police said militants were trained in 14 dens in Tangail and Gazipur districts. These were in Asgana, Kanchanpur, Taktarchala, Kalian, Namasola, Ashulia, Bhati Khalpar, Media, Solai, Rashidpur, Mazidpur, and Telina villages in Mirzapur and Sakhipur upazilas in Tangail district and Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur. They said JMB leader Enayetullah alias Jewel, arrested from Joydevpur with a huge quantity of bomb making materials few months back, had recruited a large number of militants from the areas, staying at a rented house at Balla in Kalihati upazila in Tangail district. Jwel hailed from Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district.
In Sherpur, arrested Sumon told interrogators that he was an aide to JMB kingpin Abdur Rahman. He was arrested from Gourdar village in Nokla upazila in Tangail on March 12. Police said they got important information from Sumon but declined to give details for the shake of investigation.