As soon as the news of capturing the fugitive JMB chief spread the countrymen heaved a sigh of relief. Hundreds of city dwellers in Sylhet took to the streets to express their joy. People from all strata of life hailed the exciting operation of the law enforcers led by RAB and termed it as a major success of the government.
After his surrender the JMB chief along with detained family members was produced before a Magistrate Court in Sylhet and the Magistrate granted their 10-day remand for interrogation. Later he and his family members were brought to Dhaka by road under the escort of the law enforcers including RAB.
RAB sources said a special Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) has been formed to grill the JMB leader.
The TFI started interrogating Shaikh Abdur Rahman and his family members at the RAB-1 headquarters at Uttora in the city last night to get further information on Bangla Bhai, local and international connections of the JMB and sources of funding and arms and ammunition.
Shaikh Rahman, the mastermind of the August 17 series bomb attacks across the country, along with two accomplices, came out from the hideout of the house named Surya Dighal Bari at East Shaplabagh, Tilagarh area in Sylhet at 7:15AM and surrendered to the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
The two other accomplices were identified as Abdul Aziz and Hridoy Chowdhury, who took the house on rent for Shaikh Rahman, the kingpin of JMB. The one storied-house, however belongs to an expatriate who now lives in England.
Instead of repeated request of the Deputy Commissioner and RAB officials call to surrender to them no respond was heard from inside of Surya Dighal Bari till yesterday morning. But yesterday early in the morning suddenly Shaikh Rahman and his accomplices appeared at the window of the house.
Rahman made conversation with Chief of the RAB Abdul Aziz Sarker, who led the operation. He wanted to get a guarantee not to attack on them and talk with the journalists.
Being assured by the RAB officials, the long-bearded Rahman clad in Punjabi and having a red scarf over his head came out of the house holding a book in his left hand.
Amid tight security, the law enforcers took them to the RAB-9 headquarter in Sylhet where Shaikh had his breakfast.
Earlier on Wednesday noon, nine other people, including Shaikh's wife Ayesha Akhter Rupa, daughters Afifa Begum and Nabila Begum, sons Mahmud, Fuad and Ahmed, grandson Talha, domestic help Taslima and Sabina Yasmin Chameli, wife of a active member of JMB head surrendered.
The RAB seized one bomb, two detonators, 2 kgs of explosives and some Islamic books and computer CDs from inside the house after surrender of the militant leader.
A strong contingent of law enforcing agencies comprising RAB, BDR and Police laid a siege to the house since Tuesday midnight to flush out the JMB chief from the hideout.
Following the confessional statement of Hafez Mahmud, a suspected member
of JMB’s Majlish-e-Shura, who was arrested from Baitul Mukarram Mosque area in the capital on Tuesday, the RAB launched the massive operation in the Tilagarh area of Sylhet since Tuesday night.
At one stage, the law enforcers managed to single out the house Surya
Dighol Bari at Purba Shaplabag of Tilagarh, 3 kms off the city heart and cordoned off the building since about 9:00PM on Tuesday.
During the long operation, thousands of local people thronged around the house along with the law enforcers and journalists.
After a brief lull from Wednesday midnight, the law enforcers resumed their operation at 6:15AM to force Shaikh Rahman and his accomplices to come out from the hideout.
They asked Rahman through megaphone to come out of the house and surrender otherwise threatening to go for tougher action.
The law enforcers used different tactics to weaken Shaikh Rahman by stopping water supply, cutting of electric line and sprayed gas and pouring water inside the house.
Earlier, law enforcers also created holes on the roof of the building to see the activities of the militant leader.
Sources said the RAB officials were in touch with Shaikh Abdur Rahman and continued conversations by loudspeaker till early Wednesday. But Shaikh Rahman was repeatedly denying surrendering in response of the RAB proposal.
The authorities earlier had announced a bounty of Tk 50 lakh each on
the heads of the two kingpins - Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla
Bhai.
Shaikh Rahman was moved to a Magistrate Court in Sylhet at about 10:30AM where police sought a 10-day remand. The court granted the remand for 10 days.
Two cases related to arms and explosives were filed with Kotwali Police Station against him.
After completion of legal formalities, the JMB chief, along with his family
members and associates, were brought to Dhaka by road under tight police escort at about 3:00PM.
Director General (DG) of RAB Abdul Aziz Sarkar, who flew to Sylhet at around 5:00AM on Wednesday by a RAB helicopter to oversee the operation, conveyed his heartiest thanks to the people, local administration and other law enforcement and civil defence personnel for their cooperation during the arrest of Shaikh Abdur Rahman.
He told newsmen that the next target of elite force RAB is to nab JMJB chief Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and the remaining Shura members of Shaikh Rahman’s militant outfit JMB.
Meanwhile, a RAB team recovered huge quantity of explosive from a house at Hatimbagh in Sylhet following confessional statement made by people arrested along with Shaikh Rahman.
© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
