Youth arrested with five cocktails in Jatrabari, companion flees

Police have arrested a young man with five cocktails in Dhaka's Jatrabari area. A motorcycle he was using was seized at the time. No casualties have been reported.

Mohammad Saiful Islam (35) was arrested with five cocktails at a police checkpoint at the entrance of the Janapad Mor flyover in Jatrabari at around 8:10 pm on Monday (9 November). A Royal Enfield motorcycle he was using was seized. Another man on the motorcycle, Palash (45), fled the scene.

Raju Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Jatrabari Police Station, confirmed the information at around 10:15 pm.

Police said Sub-Inspector Md. Emran Hossain of the Jatrabari police outpost was on duty at the checkpoint with his force. When two riders arrived on a motorcycle, they were signalled to stop, but they tried to flee. Saiful was later caught with the help of members of the Jatrabari police outpost and the SRU, while the other rider escaped.

After the arrest, police members noticed paddy husk in a shopping bag in Saiful's hand. Members of the bomb disposal unit later examined the bag and recovered five cocktails from it.

The arrested Saiful's father is the late Mohammad Khalilur Rahman. His village home is in area No. 1 of Jhalam village under Monoharganj police station in Cumilla. He currently lives in the Malibag First Lane area under Shahjahanpur police station in the capital.

Police said the fugitive Palash is about 45 years old and his home is in Manikganj, but his detailed identity has not yet been established. Police are trying to identify and arrest him.

Police said legal action in this incident is under process.

On the same Monday evening, cocktail explosions and bus arson were reported in different parts of Dhaka. Cocktails exploded in the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) area of Dhaka University, the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court premises, and the bus parking area beside the second gate of Jagannath University campus. Earlier, a bus was set on fire in Farmgate, and at around 9:30 pm, miscreants set fire to a parked bus named Basumati in the post office area of Mirpur Section 11.5.

According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), cocktails exploded in at least 15 places in different parts of the capital over the past two days (from last Saturday to Sunday night). Three vehicles were set on fire during this period. The DMP said at least 20 people have been arrested in connection with these incidents over the past three days.

Meanwhile, outside the capital, five buses were set on fire in Savar, Barguna and Gazipur in Dhaka division. These incidents took place between late Sunday night and Monday evening.

Police said no casualties have been reported in these incidents so far. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved.