Staff Reporter :
The DNA tests confirmed the identities of five militants, killed in a commando operation in the city’s Gulshan café on July 2, police said on Tuesday.
Apart from the five militants, another suspected person, reported to be a chef of the café, was also killed in the operation.
The reports of DNA test were collected from Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday. It (CID) conducted the DNA tests at its Forensic Laboratory.
DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule that contains the instructions an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell, and are passed down from parents to their children.
“DNA samples were collected from the six during their postmortem. Later, CID also collected DNA samples from their family members. And their DNA samples have been matched with the samples of their respective family members,” Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (Media and Publication) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told journalists yesterday.
The dead militants are Meer Samih Mobassher, Rohan Ibn Imtiaz, Nirbras Islam, Khairul Islam Payel and Shafiqul Islam Uzzal while their suspected associate is Saiful Islam Choukidar, a cook of the café.
Their bodies are still at the mortuary of Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka as no one came to receive those till Tuesday, the police official said.
Replying to a query, he said as the postmortem and DNT tests have been completed, the law enforcers would not have any need to preserve the bodies.
“If the family members want the bodies, they will have to apply to seek permission. After completion of all procedures, their bodies will be handed over to their respective family members,” Masudur said.
Earlier on Monday, ex-North South University teacher Abul Hasnat Rezaul Karim was sent to jail on completion of his two weeks remand in a case filed over Gulshan terror attack.
Besides, Tahmid Hasib Khan, a Bangladeshi origin Canadian and Toronto University student was also sent to jail on completion of his remand period in connection with the Gulshan terror attack.
On August 3, a Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit team arrested Hasnat and Tahmid from the city’s Gulshan and Bashundhara areas respectively for their suspected link to the attack.
They were rescued along with 11 others during a commando operation at the Holey Artisan Bakery at the city’s Gulshan diplomatic zone on July 2 following a 12-hour hostage standoff.
Twenty hostages — nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi-born American and two Bangladeshis — were killed in the July 1 terror attack at the Gulshan restaurant. Two policemen and six of the militants were also killed during the hostage crisis incident.
Meanwhile, police identified Bangladesh-origin Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury and sacked army official Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia as the masterminds behind the most dreadful carnage.
Besides, Marzan, an associate of Islami Chhatra Shibir, Chittagong University unit, has also been identified as one of the masterminds involved in the attack.
Police have declared Taka 20,00,000 as bounty each for helping the law enforcers to arrest Tamim and Zia.
Apart from the three, police also claimed that more seven to eight suspected big guns had been involved in the July 1 attack.
