Police have found that the fugitive director of a madrasa in Dhaka’s Keraniganj had previous links to militant activities, following a powerful explosion that caused extensive damage to the building and injured several people.
According to police, he was detained several years ago in connection with militant activities, and multiple cases were filed against him at nearby police stations. He has been out on bail since 2023.
Investigators recovered chemical substances and objects resembling crude bombs from the scene after the blast.
The explosion occurred on Friday at the madrasa in Hasnabad of South Keraniganj, on the outskirts of the capital, after which the director, identified as Sheikh Al Amin, 32, went into hiding. Four people, including two children, were injured in the incident.
In connection with the case, police arrested Al Amin’s wife Asia, Asia’s elder brother’s wife Yasmin Akhter and Asmani Khatun.
According to police, Al Amin, a resident of Bagerhat, had been operating the madrasa in two rooms of the building since 2022, with around 25 to 30 students enrolled.
Earlier, in 2017, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Al Amin along with two others from Boktaboli in Narayanganj’s Fatulla police station area on suspicion of being members of New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (New JMB), Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said at a press conference held at South Keraniganj police station on Saturday afternoon.
At the time, RAB reported recovering a foreign-made pistol, a foreign revolver, five rounds of ammunition, two knives, explosive materials, and jihadist books and leaflets from their possession.
In Friday afternoon’s explosion, the Ummal Qura International Madrasa building sustained severe structural damage. The single-storey building, constructed on a five-storey foundation, suffered partial collapse of the walls of two rear rooms out of four, while cracks developed in the staircase.
Investigators said a large quantity of explosive materials had been stored inside the building. Crime Scene Unit members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Anti-Terrorism Unit visited the site.
Asia and her three children were injured in the explosion. Following the incident, Al Amin took his wife and children to Ad-Din Hospital, and they were later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. Al Amin has been on the run since then.
“There were several cases filed against Al Amin at nearby police stations, and he has been out on bail since 2023. The name of one Mufti Harun has also come up. He is Asia’s brother and, according to our information, a director of the madrasa. He is currently abroad,” Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said.
“After the explosion on Friday, police recovered chemical substances, four objects resembling crude bombs, a laptop and two monitors from the scene,” he added.
He said around 400 litres of hydrogen peroxide-type chemical substances were recovered from the debris. “It appears they were attempting to do something using chemical materials. We are questioning family members to determine where these substances came from and what was being planned,” he said.
Meanwhile, the owner of the building, Parvin Begum, said construction of the building was completed in 2022. She said the property was later rented out to a man named Mufti Harun for running a madrasa, who subsequently handed over management responsibilities to his brother-in-law Al Amin. Al Amin and his wife Asia worked as teachers at the madrasa, while Mufti Harun visited the premises occasionally.
