A Dhaka court on Tuesday placed four people, including a local leader of activity-restricted Awami League, on varying terms of remand in connection with a cocktail blast in front of Jatrabari Police Station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order following a hearing on the remand petition.
The primary accused, Md Raihan Uddin, 35, office secretary of Unit 6 of Ward No 32 under Awami League’s Bangshal (Dhaka South) unit, was placed on a four-day remand.
The three other accused – Rasel Khan, 32, Ala Uddin, 28, and Abdullah Mashhur Ashrafi, 20 – were remanded for two days each.
Confirming the court order, State lawyer Harun or Rashid said the four arrested individuals are directly associated with Awami League activities and that key information regarding their political involvement had been obtained.
He informed the court that interrogating the suspects under remand was necessary to uncover who backed, advised, and instructed them, as well as to identify others involved in alleged terrorist activities and determine their roles.
The lawyer added that proper verification of the information obtained from them would help identify and bring other suspects to justice.
The defence opposed the remand petition during the court hearing.
Earlier on 20 September, the investigation officer, Inspector Mohammad Golam Mostafa of Detective Branch (DB) Police Wari Zone, produced the accused before the court seeking a five-day remand following their arrest during drives conducted on 19 and 20 September across various areas in the capital.
The court sent the accused to prison on 20 September and scheduled the remand hearing.
In the remand petition, police added that the arrested individuals are active members of Awami League and had been carrying out criminal activities for a long time.
Police stressed that intensive interrogation was essential to unearth the core mystery of the case, arrest absconding accomplices, and recover remaining explosives in their possession.
According to the case documents, unidentified miscreants detonated a cocktail in front of Dholairpar and Jatrabari Traffic Box under Jatrabari Police Station on the night of 18 September, injuring a pedestrian identified as Md Ebadur Rahman, 24.
Upon receiving information, the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit arrived at the spot, recovered an unexploded cocktail, and neutralised it. A case was subsequently filed at Jatrabari Police Station under Sections 3/6 of the Explosive Substances Act.
Following analysis of CCTV footage and secret information, police conducted operations in and around Dhaka on 19 and 20 September, arresting the four suspects and seizing a motorcycle along with four unexploded cocktails.
