Suspected ‘slain’ militant Marzan’s younger sister, Khadiza, surrendered to the police along with her three children around 3pm yesterday, confirmed Azmal Huda, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali police station, in the afternoon. The OC disclosed that the operation that was launched at the building where she had been holed up was still being conducted. The law enforcement personnel had kept the four-storey building on Nawapara Road surrounded till the time of the filing of this report. They had surrounded the building on suspicion that Khadiza was staying there, disclosed Jessore superintendent of police Anisur Rahman. Police and local people said that Kotwali police surrounded the four-storey building behind Ghope Nawapara Road Jame Mosque since 2am yesterday.

The pink-coloured  building is owned by three sisters of a former ward councillor of Jessore municipality.

Khadiza had been residing on the first floor of the building on rent for roughly a year along with her husband and children. Her husband works at a herbal company.

Several teams of the police, including members of the SWAT, were in the process of conducting the operation at the building, said the police superintendent.

The SWAT team was seen entering the bylane near the four-storey building at 10:10am. Earlier, Anisur Rahman entered the bylane at 9:30 am. A number of officers of the Detective Branch (DB) followed suit at 9:50am.

Nobody, including journalists, was allowed to enter the bylane till 11:14 am. The SP called the journalists inside the bylane after that. The police were seen making announcements over a hand-held mike, urging those inside the building to come out soon. The SP called out, “Khadiza, switch on your mobile phone, we want to talk to you.” “We want to help you, Khadiza,” he added. “Please come out, considering the future of your children,” he continued. But nobody responded from inside the building.

The SP then informed the journalists that  Khadiza was inside the first floor of the building. “We have already evacuated five families from the building,” he added.

The Jessore police boss, however, did not confirm the number of militants

on the first floor or whether there were any children there. He, however,

said that the operation would continue.