Mirpur ‘militant den’: Sounds of heavy gunshots, explosions heard

Sounds of heavy gunshots and explosions were heard from the suspected militant hideout in Dhaka’s Mirpur tonight.

At least three bomb were exploded around 9:50pm, over two hours after the law enforcers claimed that the “militants” holed up in house agreed to surrender to the lawmen, reports our staff correspondent from the spot.

Minutes after the explosions, sounds of around 50 gunshots were also heard from the spot.

Earlier around 6:45pm, Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, legal and media wing director of the Rab, told reporters that the militants agreed to surrender after repeated attempts of the law enforcers to convince them.

The members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have already evacuated 65 residents of the six-storey house, he said.

Around five to seven persons with a big stash of explosives are inside the building that lawmen have cordoned off since midnight, said Rapid Action Battalion’s (Rab) Director General Benazir Ahmed told reporters in the afternoon.

He said, the lawmen were working with patience and diligence. But, if they do not respond to repeated calls for surrender, the lawmen would spring to action.

The six-storey building on Mirpur’s Mazar Road in Dhaka has been under cordon since 12:40am, Faruqul Alam, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Darussalam Police Station, told The Daily Star.

The “militants” blasted some crude bombs at the spot in the wee hours, said Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, legal and media wing director of the Rab.

Locals sought anonymity to tell The Daily Star that the manhunt was being conducted for Khoka and Abdullah, two known faces in the locality who have been living there for long.

They spoke of hearing around three to four loud blasts around 1:00am last night. Residents of the building were evacuated and the locals taken to a safe distance by morning.

The two brothers are said to be married and fathers of children.

Source: thedailystar