Ashulia bank robbery mastermind held

Police have arrested the mastermind of Ashulia bank robbery that claimed nine lives.

Arrestee Mahfuzul Islam Sumon, is a leader of outlawed militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Ashulia OC Dipak Chandra Saha told the Dhaka Tribune: "The mastermind of Ashulia bank robbery was arrested from Badda in the capital."

Dhaka Police Super will brief media regarding the arrest in a press conference at DMP media centre at 3pm Sunday, Assistant Commissioner of DMP Hasan Arafat told the Dhaka Tribune.

On April 21, armed criminals robbed a branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank at Kathgora in the Ashulia industrial area near Dhaka, killing nine people. More than 20 sustained bullet and splinter wounds when the robbers opened fire and set off bombs while escaping.

One of the robbers were lynched and two others were handed over to police by a local mob. Jasim is believed to be one of the members of the band who managed to flee. They also left behind more than Tk6 lakh that they had looted.

Police said the matter of Ansarullah’s involvement in the bank heist came up during the custodial interrogation of two suspected robbers, Borhan, 35, and Saiful, 25.

The government has banned radical Islamist outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team through issuing a gazette on May 25.

According to TRAC – Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium – Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) is an al Qaeda inspired Islamic extremist group in Bangladesh that started its activities during 2007 as the Jama’atul Muslemin, funded by different NGOs. The group ceased to operate when funding ended. It resurfaced during 2013 as the ABT.

The group is influenced by renowned extremist ideologues, such as Anwar Al-Awlaki.