The police detained three suspected militants from a house at Tanore upazila of the district early yesterday (Monday). Suicide vests, weapons and explosives were also seized. The raid on the house of Ramzan Hazi at Dangapara village in Pachundar union of the upazila began late on Sunday night, said Sumit Chowdhury, additional superintendent of police (Special Branch), Rajshahi. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Bogra Detective Police and Tanore police conducted the raid. The house was surrounded and the inmates of the house were asked to surrender. “Three persons were arrested on suspicion of militancy,” Chowdhury said. Those arrested were identified as Ramzan Hazi’s sons, Ibrahim Hossain (26) and Israfil Hossain (24), and son-in-law Rabiul Islam (25). All of them were linked with militant groups, Chowdhury said.
Based on their information, the police seized two suicide vests, a pistol with five rounds of ammunition and a magazine from the house. The police suspect there may still be powerful explosives inside the house. Nine more persons, including women and children, have been taken to the police station.
They are Ramzan Hazi, his wife Ayesha Begum, daughter Haowa Khatun, Ibrahim’s wife Morzina Khatun, Israfil’s wife Haresa Khatun and Ramzan’s four grandchildren, who are aged between nine years and one month. Jamal Uddin Sarker, former local UP chairman, said Ramzan and his family had been fasting and celebrating Eid according to Saudi Arabia’s schedule for the past 10 to 12 years. This year, too, they began fasting one day early in keeping with Saudi Arabia’s schedule. Last year, Ramzan and his wife Ayesha went on Hajj, Sarker added. He said Ibrahim and Israfil were educated in a madrasa.
Ibrahim runs a fertiliser- and insecticide-selling outlet at his house. After finishing his Fazil lessons at Mundubala madrasa, Israfil has been practising homoeopathy for the past one month.