Members of the Bangladesh Army on Saturday recovered a large cache of firearms and explosive-making materials from a coaching centre in Kandirganj area in Rajshahi city and arrested three people.
The arrestees are Montaserul Alam alias Onindo, owner of the coaching centre named Doctor English, and an English teacher, and his associates Md Robin and Md Faisal.
Onindo, son of former Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Shafiul Alam Latku and a cousin of former Rajshahi mayor and Awami League presidium member AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, was earlier arrested in connection with the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in Dhaka, and Rajshahi University slain Professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique murder, but got released later in both cases.
A press release issued by the army鈥檚 40 East Bengal (Mechanised) Battalion said that troops surrounded the coaching centre early in the morning and launched a raid based on specific intelligence.
鈥業nside, we found three firearms and bullets, military-grade binoculars and sniper scopes, locally made arms, seven foreign-made sharp daggers, five high-quality walkie-talkies, a military-grade GPS, a teaser gun, local and foreign cartridges, a large number of unused SIM cards, explosive-making equipment, six computer sets, Tk聽7,445 in cash, domestic and foreign liquors, and eleven nitrogen cartridges. The cartridges were neutralised by the Bomb Disposal Unit as they were fresh explosive materials,鈥� the release stated.
Intelligence agencies have started further investigation while the operation was said to be ongoing, it added.
