From postal worker to militant group’s armed wing chief

Masukur Rahman alias Ronobir alias Masud, one of the shura members and head of the armed wing of ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’ worked for the postal department till 2007 and got involved with organised crimes including robbery.

He got arrested in a robbery case and during his stay in jail Ronobir came in contact with leaders of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and got inspired with its ideology.

Even after release from jail, Ronobir maintained contact with jailed JMB members and their families.

In 2017, Ronobir got introduced with Jamatul Ansar’s finance and media wing head Rakib and eventually joined the outfit as a founding member. Both of them are now members of the outfit’s top policy body – the shura and now Ronobir acts as the outfit’s military wing chief.

RAB’s legal and media wing director Commander Khandaker Al Moin came up with the narration at a press conference held at its media centre at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka on Tuesday, a day after the RAB arrested Ronobir and his associates Abul Bashar Mridha in Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar.

Moin said since the inception of Jamatul Ansar, Ronobir played an important role in various policy-making matters of the group’s military wing.

Ronobir along with other shura members were also present at the deal signing event between ‘Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’ and Kuki-chin National Front at a training centre in hills in 2021, he said.

He got the responsibility of the chief of military wing about a year ago and was assigned to collect arms and ammunition for training fresh recruits. Moin said that the other arrestee Bashar, who is on RAB’s list 55 missing persons, has long been associated with the banned militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B).

He was in jail from 2013 to 2016 in a case of sabotage filed with Nalchity police in Jhalakati.

Moin said that Bashar left home in September 2021 to get training in the hills. He got training on bomb-making from the separatists. Later, he used to train the fresh recruits.

Moin said RAB conducted several operations since last September and arrested 38 leaders and active members of Jamatul Ansar. Besides, RAB also arrested 14 leaders and members of Kuki-chin National Front, who helps the militant group for training.