The government has issued a red alert at all the entry and exit points of Bangladesh to aid in the arrest of two Ansar al-Islam members who had escaped from the Dhaka court premises on Sunday afternoon, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said.
Speaking to reporters at his office at the secretariat in Dhaka, the minister said, “Police are looking for them everywhere. I hope we will be able to arrest them soon.
“We have asked the law enforcement agencies to beef up their surveillance at border regions so that they cannot leave the country. Exemplary punishment will be given to those found responsible for negligence in duties.”
Dubbing the incident as “unfortunate,” the minister said, “We will form a probe body and take necessary steps so that such occurrences do not happen again.”
Meanwhile, police announced a Tk 20 lakh bounty — Tk 10 lakh for each militant — in a bid to assist the law enforcement agencies to arrest the fugitive militants, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Media) Md Faruk Hossain told The Business Post.
Police and other units have been asked to set up checkposts at every entrance and exit of Dhaka, he added.
Earlier in the day, suspected militants snatched their two fellow operatives from police custody in front of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Dhaka.
DMP Additional Commissioner and Detective Branch (DB) chief Harun-or-Rashid said, “We heard militants snatched the two after spraying something on the eyes of the on-duty police personnel at the court entrance. They came to the court on motorbikes.
“All our DB teams are working on the matter. Hopefully, they will be apprehended soon,” Harun added.
The escapees are Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab, 33, of Lalmonirhat and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Sifat alias Samir alias Imran, 24, of Sunamganj.
A five-member committee formed to investigate the incident has been asked to submit its report within three working days to DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq.
Publisher Dipan, son of Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh in the city on October 31, 2015.
A case was filed with Shahbagh police station the following day and later the case was transferred to DB police. On November 15, 2019, police pressed charges against the eight Ansar-Al-Islam men in the case.
On February 10, 2021, the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Tribunal sentenced eight militants, including Sohel and Shamim, to death.
