Staff Reporter :
Five suspected militants, including two women, and a fire service man, were killed during the ‘Operation Sun Devil’ in a tin-shed house at Benipur in Godagari Upazila in Rajshahi district.
The deceased are Sajjad Ali, 50, his wife Beli, 40, their sons Al Amin, 30, and Soyaiyad, 25, and their daughter Karima Khatun, 28, and Abdul Matin, a local fireman.
Besides, one Sumaiya, her son Jubayer, 8 and infant Suraiya, have been rescued. They are now under police protection.
Bomb disposal unit recovered 11 bombs, one pistol, two rounds of bullets and a magazine from the house, said our local correspondent quoting Police.
Five suspected members of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and a fireman were killed during the operation in the den, Nisharul Arif, Additional Deputy Inspector General (Rajshahi Range) of Police said this in a press briefing at Benipur village in Godagari on Friday.
Police cordoned off the tin shed house at Benipur village
on Wednesday night and ended the operation on Friday morning where the suspecting militants were staying, the Additional DIG said.
“The militant couple and their two adult children, including a daughter and an IT expert son, were killed in a suicide blast during the raid, but another adult daughter of the couple, Sumaiya, surrendered to police with two minor children after her initial reluctance to give in. Even ahead of their deaths, they came out of the den and killed fireman Abdul Matin with machetes,” he said. According to the Police official, Sazzad Ali began residing in the one-storey tin-shed house, surrounded by water bodies, at Benipur about a month ago. He is father-in-law of one Zahurul, a militant already under police custody.
However, family members of the dead militants refused to take the bodies, apparently due to social stigma. Their bodies are now in the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) morgue, he said.
Among those injured, fireman Abdul later succumbed to his injuries. The militants exploded suicide vests, according to law enforcers, said Moazzem Hossain Bhuiyan, Superintendent of Police of Rajshahi. Police initially suspected that Sumaiya was wearing a suicide vest. She surrendered to police on Thursday, the SP said.
“Around 7:45am on Thursday, some people came out from the house and attacked police and fire service personnel before blasts. Five bodies were found on the spot afterwards.” Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Godagari Police Station Hifzur Alam Munshi said police cordoned off the house since 9:00 pm on Wednesday last. The operation began around 3:00am early Thursday. Police repeatedly told them to surrender. Minutes later, some militants including two women stormed out of the house and swooped on the police and firemen with sharp weapons, leaving seven policemen injured. They also stabbed a fireman indiscriminately who was engaged in spraying water on the house to hydrate any explosives, Later, fireman Abdul Matin succumbed to his injuries at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, the OC added. Sazzad’s other daughter Sumaiya was spotted sitting in the field outside the house when the security personnel were being attacked. The Godagari OC said Sumaiya’s 8-year old son with her 3-month old daughter came out of the house before the attack and the explosions. Security forces removed them from the spot immediately.
Locals of Benipur Village, some 30 km from Rajshahi city, said the house in the middle of a field was built around two months ago.
Sazzad lived with his wife, two sons and as many daughters and the family avoided neighbours, according to villagers. He used to sell clothes as a vendor. His sons, Alamin and Shoyeb were involved in farming. Locals tagged the house as ‘Alamin’s home’, said the Police officer. Local Union Council Chairman Ali Azam Towhid said, Sazzad’s son-in-law Zahurul has been in jail for several months on charge of being involved with banned militant group Jamaa’tul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Sumaiya’s husband Zahurul hails from Godagari Upazila’s Diya Manikchar, according to Towhid.
Meanwhile, a raid into a militant hideout in Natore Sadar yielded no result, police said on Friday. Nobody was found inside the three storied building at Harishpur, our local correspondent reports quoting Abul Khayer, Additional Superintendent of district police.
“We carried out the raid under specific instruction, but it had no result,” the police official said. The operation was withdrawn around 2:00pm on Friday after three hours.
In March this year, law enforcers raided seven houses in Chittagong and Sylhet region. About 26 people, including women and children, were killed in the operation.
From late April, raids have been conducted in three districts’ five places.
Five suspected militants, including two women, and a fire service man, were killed during the ‘Operation Sun Devil’ in a tin-shed house at Benipur in Godagari Upazila in Rajshahi district.
The deceased are Sajjad Ali, 50, his wife Beli, 40, their sons Al Amin, 30, and Soyaiyad, 25, and their daughter Karima Khatun, 28, and Abdul Matin, a local fireman.
Besides, one Sumaiya, her son Jubayer, 8 and infant Suraiya, have been rescued. They are now under police protection.
Bomb disposal unit recovered 11 bombs, one pistol, two rounds of bullets and a magazine from the house, said our local correspondent quoting Police.
Five suspected members of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and a fireman were killed during the operation in the den, Nisharul Arif, Additional Deputy Inspector General (Rajshahi Range) of Police said this in a press briefing at Benipur village in Godagari on Friday.
Police cordoned off the tin shed house at Benipur village
on Wednesday night and ended the operation on Friday morning where the suspecting militants were staying, the Additional DIG said.
“The militant couple and their two adult children, including a daughter and an IT expert son, were killed in a suicide blast during the raid, but another adult daughter of the couple, Sumaiya, surrendered to police with two minor children after her initial reluctance to give in. Even ahead of their deaths, they came out of the den and killed fireman Abdul Matin with machetes,” he said. According to the Police official, Sazzad Ali began residing in the one-storey tin-shed house, surrounded by water bodies, at Benipur about a month ago. He is father-in-law of one Zahurul, a militant already under police custody.
However, family members of the dead militants refused to take the bodies, apparently due to social stigma. Their bodies are now in the Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) morgue, he said.
Among those injured, fireman Abdul later succumbed to his injuries. The militants exploded suicide vests, according to law enforcers, said Moazzem Hossain Bhuiyan, Superintendent of Police of Rajshahi. Police initially suspected that Sumaiya was wearing a suicide vest. She surrendered to police on Thursday, the SP said.
“Around 7:45am on Thursday, some people came out from the house and attacked police and fire service personnel before blasts. Five bodies were found on the spot afterwards.” Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Godagari Police Station Hifzur Alam Munshi said police cordoned off the house since 9:00 pm on Wednesday last. The operation began around 3:00am early Thursday. Police repeatedly told them to surrender. Minutes later, some militants including two women stormed out of the house and swooped on the police and firemen with sharp weapons, leaving seven policemen injured. They also stabbed a fireman indiscriminately who was engaged in spraying water on the house to hydrate any explosives, Later, fireman Abdul Matin succumbed to his injuries at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, the OC added. Sazzad’s other daughter Sumaiya was spotted sitting in the field outside the house when the security personnel were being attacked. The Godagari OC said Sumaiya’s 8-year old son with her 3-month old daughter came out of the house before the attack and the explosions. Security forces removed them from the spot immediately.
Locals of Benipur Village, some 30 km from Rajshahi city, said the house in the middle of a field was built around two months ago.
Sazzad lived with his wife, two sons and as many daughters and the family avoided neighbours, according to villagers. He used to sell clothes as a vendor. His sons, Alamin and Shoyeb were involved in farming. Locals tagged the house as ‘Alamin’s home’, said the Police officer. Local Union Council Chairman Ali Azam Towhid said, Sazzad’s son-in-law Zahurul has been in jail for several months on charge of being involved with banned militant group Jamaa’tul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Sumaiya’s husband Zahurul hails from Godagari Upazila’s Diya Manikchar, according to Towhid.
Meanwhile, a raid into a militant hideout in Natore Sadar yielded no result, police said on Friday. Nobody was found inside the three storied building at Harishpur, our local correspondent reports quoting Abul Khayer, Additional Superintendent of district police.
“We carried out the raid under specific instruction, but it had no result,” the police official said. The operation was withdrawn around 2:00pm on Friday after three hours.
In March this year, law enforcers raided seven houses in Chittagong and Sylhet region. About 26 people, including women and children, were killed in the operation.
From late April, raids have been conducted in three districts’ five places.
