At least four people have been detained following a series of crude bomb explosions and an arson attack on a bus at several locations across Dhaka on Monday evening.
Two people allegedly linked to a banned organisation were arrested in front of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court while attempting to throw crude bombs.
According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), crude bombs and a motorcycle were seized from their procession.
Another person was arrested from the Shyampur Police Station area, while students detained a fourth person following a crude bomb explosion near the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University and handed him over to police.
The explosions were also reported at several locations, including in front of Shanta-Mariam University of Creative Technology and World University in Uttara, and Southeast University in Tejgaon.
Crude bomb explosions also occurred near the main gate of Government Bangla College in Mirpur. A shop beside the college gate was set on fire.
Another explosion was reported in front of Nongorkhana Adarsha Tower in Mirpur-1, opposite Shah Ali Police Station.
In a separate incident, miscreants set fire to a bus of Lovely Paribahan bus beneath Farmgate Metro Rail Station in the capital on Monday evening.
Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Tejgaon Division Ibn Mizan said the bus was torched at around 6:35pm.
Rozina Akter, duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters control room, said two firefighting units from Mohammadpur Fire Station were dispatched to the spot after receiving information about the incident.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control at 7:09pm, she added.
DMP spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Md Akhtar Hossain told TIMES on Monday evening confirmed that four people had been detained in connection with the attacks.
Of them, two were arrested in the CMM Court area, one in Shyampur and another near TSC, he said.
A bag containing unexploded crude bombs was found beneath the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) Metro Rail Station in Dhaka, prompting authorities to call in a bomb disposal unit.
The bomb disposal team is on its way to the scene to examine and safely handle the explosives.
In a separate incident at Jagannath University, Chhatra Dal activists detained a person over an alleged crude bomb attack and tied him to a pole on the campus.
Further details about the incidents were not immediately available.
