Councillor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) ward no 13, Mahfuzul Alam Chowdhury, was accused of being involved in manufacturing crude bombs, that are used during subversive Jamaat-Shibir activities in the port city.
A well-trained group of Jamaat-Shibir alliance has been manufacturing bombs for a long time, with support from Mahfuzul Alam Chowdhury and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, said Manik, a bomb manufacturer.
Manik was held on Friday night after being injured in an explosion while producing bombs at his residence in the Railway Ex-in Colony in the city.
During a police raid at his residence, Manik fled and was admitted to a private clinic. Later police arrested him from the clinic and took his statement.
Manik confessed that he used to make crude bombs as per instruction from Mahfuzul, for which the councillor used to provide equipment, said Mainul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khulshi Police Station.
Quoting Manik, he said the crude bombs were supplied by the councillor to Jamaat-Shibir men dispersed across different areas of the city. Those bombs were used in subversive activities carried by Jamaat-Shibir men during different movements like hartals, protests, precessions etc.
Police seized an intact cocktail bomb along with bomb manufacturing equipment like gunpowder and sprinters from his residence. The flat had been used for bomb manufacturing for a long time, said OC Mainul.
After being held, he was shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH). Shah Md Abdur Rouf, assistant commissioner of Panchlaish zone of CMP said as Manik was recovering from his injuries in CMCH, police would further interrogate him after he recovers.
Banaj Kumar Mazumder, additional commissioner (crime and operation) of CMP said police had information that a number of bomb manufacturers’ dens are located across the city and that they were trying to detect those.
Shah Alam, sub-inspector of Khulshi police station, lodged a case on Friday night accusing Manik and Mahfuzul.
Mahfuzul has been fugitive since the incident and police were trying to locate and arrest him, said Shah Md Abdur Rouf.
