A pedestrian was injured in a blast during the disposal of suspected explosive devices near Motijheel Metro Station in the capital on Friday night.
The injured man, identified as Miraj Ahmed, 33, was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 8:30pm with shrapnel injuries.
Miraj, a resident of Arambagh in Motijheel and an office assistant at the Ministry of Education, said he was walking past the metro station on his way home when a loud explosion occurred.
“Shrapnel struck me below my left eye following the blast,” he said.
Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, confirmed that a man with shrapnel injuries had been admitted to the hospital.
He said Miraj was receiving treatment at the ophthalmology department.
Earlier, two suspected explosive devices concealed inside an abandoned umbrella were recovered beneath Motijheel Metro Station and later neutralised by the Bomb Disposal Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.
The devices were found after pedestrians noticed the abandoned umbrella around 6:30pm and informed police, suspecting it contained explosive materials.
Members of Motijheel Police Station reached the scene, cordoned off the area, and informed the Bomb Disposal Unit, which later neutralised the devices around 7pm.
A loud explosion was heard during the controlled neutralisation process, creating panic among commuters and people in the surrounding area.
Motijheel Police Station Officer-in-Charge Kamaruzzaman Talukder said the recovered items were suspected to be unexploded crude bombs.
Police have secured the area and are collecting evidence as part of an investigation into the incident.
