GAIBANDHA: Police in a drive arrested at least 25 operatives of the banned Islamist outfit ‘Allahr Dal’ from a house at Rather bazar in sadar upazila Saturday, as sweeping action against suspected militants is on steam across the country.  

During the raid, the law enforcers also seized ‘Jihad’ books from the spot where the peculiar party’s members sat in a clandestine meeting.

According to witnesses, local people in the morning ringed the house of Hazi Moyen Uddin and informed police as they came to know about the meeting of the militants of the party, led by its detained leader Matin Mehedi, who carries death sentence over his head.
 
“Being informed, a team of sadar police raided the house and nabbed them around 12noon,” Gaibandha Police Super Mohammad Sahadat Hossain said.

The active cadres herded up by the cops came from Pabna and Nilphamari districts and Sundarganj, Sadullapur and Sadar upazilas of Gaibandha.

“But some other top leaders and cadres managed to sneak out,” says a spot account of the incident given by locals.

Police Super Shahadat Hossain said that the octogenarian Hazi Moyen Uddin was not arrested as he is sick. He has been kept under “house arrest” under supervision of the UP chairman.

A case was filed in this connection with Sadar Thana and the arrested persons were being interrogated, said Sadar OC Akbar Hossain.

‘Allahr Dal’ chief Matin Mehedi, also a leader of the orphaned Islamist outfit JMB, had recently started his activities in the backwater Gaibandha district, home of many monga-afflicted poor people.

Earlier, four ‘Allahr Dal’ cadres were arrested from Sadallapur while five from Pradhan Para of Gabindaganj municipal area.

BDST 1716 HRS, JULY 24, 2010