One held for planting bomb in grocery
A youth was caught while dropping three homemade bombs at a grocery in Pallabi last night. Police said the grocer Rezaul caught Rafiqul Islam, 20, as he tried to flee after dropping the bombs packed in a paper-made bag at his store on Kalshi Road at about 9:30pm. Informed by Rezaul, police arrived at the scene, and took the bombs and Raniqul to Pallabi Police Station. "The bombs stuffed in tin cans were wrapped in red and yellow sticking tape," said Sub-Inspector Nasir of Pallabi Police Station. JIC to quiz Bangla Bhai operative
The Jagarata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) operative, who had admitted his party's involvement with several bomb attacks across the country, was taken on a seven-day remand yesterday. Gabtali police the same day sent Shafiqullah to the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in the capital. Shafiqullah had been quizzed twice by the JIC. | "You gonna talk, Shafi, or do ya want to go "recover" some explosives tonight?" |
He was arrested with explosives and bomb making materials at another JMJB cadre Joynal's house on January 16. He stands accused in two cases filed in connection with bomb attacks on jatra (folk play) shows in two villages of Bogra. The blasts killed two and injured at least 70. Yesterday's remand was granted under Explosives Substance Act. 
Meanwhile, a top official of the district police told The Daily Star that the local police do not have enough manpower and expertise to investigate the case properly. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) should deal with the case, he added.
3 outlaw leaders killed in 'crossfire'
Three leaders of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (M-L Lal Pataka) were killed in 'crossfire' between police and the outlawed party cadres at Jugipara union of Bagmara early yesterday. Of the dead, Rajshahi Regional PBCP Commander Abdur Razzak alias LG killer Razzak, 43, hailed from Santipur, District Commander Abdur Rashid Khan alias Chapati Rashid, 25, from Baroihati, and Idrish Ali alias Pistol Idrish, 44, from Beerkutsa of Bagmara. | LG killer and Pistol, sounds like a couple of rappers. |
With these three, the number of deaths in shootouts involving Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police since June last year rose to 221.
Detective Branch of police on Monday afternoon arrested them at Ektara Bazar in Bagmara. Following information obtained from the arrestees, a team led by assistant superintendent of police (Puthia circle) took them to Boalipara olive orchard. | Ah yes, the old deserted orchard at 4:00am trick |
As police reached the olive orchard at around 4:00am, accomplices of the three opened fire on them. Police returned fire starting a half-an-hour-long shootout. At one stage, the three while trying to flee the scene got shot. Police took them to Bagmara Health Complex, where the doctors declared them dead. Police recovered an Indian pistol, one local gun, two bullets and two cartridges from the scene of the shooting. They could not show any criminal records against them, but said the three while under interrogation had confessed to hatching a plan to kill politicians, businessmen and people 'responsible for eliminating the outlaws from Bagmara'. | "Honest, they confessed. And they got accidently shot trying to escape, really!" |
Sub Inspector Omar Faruk of Bagmara Police Station had filed a murder case in this connection against 22 unknown people.
Meanwhile, family members of the dead claimed that the three were not involved with PBCP and police killed them cold-bloodedly. Talking to the local journalists, they also said that the three were not arrested at Ektara Bazar, rather in different areas of Atrai upazila in Naogaon. Abdur Razzak was arrested at Batila Bazar while Idrish at Katila Bazar, and Abdur Rashid at Ibrahimnagar. They were later taken to Boalipara olive orchard and shot dead, alleged the family members. | Well, we know that part is true |
Locals told the journalists that they heard only three gunshots. | Three outlaws, three shots, three stiffs, sounds like a half hour gun battle between the cops and a outlaw gang to me. |
In April last year, Abdur Rashid was kidnapped and tortured by Bangla Bhai's men. He was arrested in December last year but was released later.
Bid to snatch criminal from cops foiled
Police and local people yesterday foiled a bid to snatch notorious criminal Idul from the custody of two jail guards at Shyamoli, where they had taken him for an x-ray. In what appears to be a carefully devised plot to free Idul, who is accused among other crimes of killing two policemen at Motijheel last year, his accomplices opened fire on the unarmed jail guards in front of Shyamoli X-ray and Pathological Laboratory on Road No 1. Constable Ashraf Ali Sheikh, 45, of Dhaka Central Jail received two bullets in his head and right chest.
The attackers, numbering four, then took Idul on board a microbus and attempted to make off. But, braving gunshots, locals and a police patrol team on duty nearby chased and stopped the bus. They caught Idul, but the assailants managed to flee. | Wonder of wonders, he didn't get caught in a "Crossfire" |
A Daily Star investigation found indications that, apart from Idul's associates, jail officials and staff of Orthopaedic Hospital might have been involved in the escape plot. | Ah, I love a good plot with my morning coffee |
The prison guards brought Idul to the laboratory to take x-ray by a CNG-run autorickshaw, which is quite unusual, considering the notoriety of the arrestee. At the hospital, a doctor said their x-ray unit was out of order and referred them to the private diagnostic centre.
But the Daily Star investigation found that the x-ray machine at the hospital does work and the hospital authorities refer patients to diagnostic centres outside only when a digital x-ray is needed. Shyamoli X-ray and Pathological Laboratory does not have any digital x-ray machine either.
"It seems to me that some dishonest jail officials and even some doctors and staff at the Orthopaedic Hospital are involved in the diabolical plot," said a top official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), seeking anonymity. "We will investigate how and why such a notorious criminal was sent to Orthopaedic Hospital by an autorickshaw escorted by only two unarmed guards, and how he was referred to such a diagnostic centre. After investigation, we will report the findings to the higher authorities," said DMP Deputy Commissioner (West Division) Mazharul Hoque. | I'd say it sounds like a setup to me......did you just say "unarmed guards"? WTF, over? |
A three-member committee comprising Dhaka Central Jail doctor, jailer and deputy jailer has been formed to investigate the incident. | That would be the doctor who sent him out for a x-ray, the jailer who assigned unarmed guards, and the deputy jailer who gave them a autorickshaw instead of a car? Yeah, they'll get to the bottom of it. |
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