Arrested council (Shura) member and head of the armed wing of a new militant group, Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, met JMB militants while in jail on robbery charges and became a top leader of the new group after he was released. Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, revealed the information while briefing the media today over the arrest of two members of the new militant group yesterday from a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar. He said Rab interrogated Masukur Rahman alias Ronobir alias Masud and Bashar after arresting them yesterday and got some important tip-offs. Ronobir’s associate, Bashar, is a bomb-making expert. Ronobir used to work at a post office. He also led an armed robbery gang and got arrested. “During his time in prison, he met the leaders and activists of JMB and decided to join forces with them,” said the Rab officer. Also Read: 2 ‘militants’ arrested from Kutupalong Rohingya camp after 'gunfight’, Rab says He continued to visit JMB members in jail after his release. He had contact with their families too, he added. In 2017, he met Rakib, a Shura member and later head of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya’s finance and media wing, and became a founding member. Members of Rab yesterday (January 23, 2023) arrested Ronobir and Bashar after a gunfight at Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar. Rab arrested the duo along with arms and explosives from a den in the camp following the gunfight.  

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) today (January 23, 2023) arrested two suspected members of new militant group 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' after a gunfight at Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar. The arrestees were identified as Ronobir, a Shura member and head of the armed wing of the militant group, and his associate Bashar, a bomb-making expert. Read more: 12 militants, 14 KNF members arrested so far in anti-militancy drive in Bandarban: RAB A team of Rab-15 conducted a drive in Kutupalong Rohingya camp this morning, said ASP Abu Salam Chowdhury from Cox's Bazar Rab-15. Sensing the presence of law enforcers, the militants opened fire on them, forcing the Rab personnel to fire back, he added. Rab arrested the duo along with arms and explosives from a den in the camp following the gunfight. Details will be revealed at a press briefing at Ukhiya Rohingya camp area, the officer said. Read more: 3 ‘members of new militant outfit’ held with arms, explosives in Bandarban

A senior counter terrorism official said on Thursday that Ameer(chief) of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman has confessed the involvement of his son Dr Rafat Sadiq Saifullah with the new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya. The chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Asaduzzaman claimed this at a press conference in the DMP media centre on Thursday. The CTTC chief said the Jamaat chief was aware that his son was involved in militancy. “But he remained silent and didn’t inform the law enforcement agencies,” Asaduzzaman said. “If someone wants to return to normal life after being involved in militancy, the law-enforcement agencies consider an application on behalf of the family. But he (Shafiqur) did not inform the law enforcers and concealed the whole thing,” he said. Rafat, son of Shafiqur Rahman, along with one of his associates were arrested from Jatrabari area of the city on November 9. Read more: Dr Shafiqur Rahman made Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Rafat was a suspected member of Ansar Al Islam and collected some supporters from the militant group to join their new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, the official claimed. A group of young people, who left homes recently, led by Rafat went to Bandarban from where they went to Sylhet for training from militants with Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed group in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, claimed the CTTC chief. Shafiqur Rahman was arrested on December 13 for his alleged involvement in militancy. Police found the evidence of supporting and funding the new militant outfit Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya by the Jamaat chief, said DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on December 17. Meanwhile, about the escape of two militants from the Dhaka court, the CTTC chief said on Thursday: “It is not time to say it yet. They’ve not escaped from the country yet.” Read more: Arrest warrants issued against Jamaat chief, 11 others in sabotage case

With the arrest of four more members of 'Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya' from Laksham upazila in Cumilla,  26 members of the new militant outfit have been arrested so far, said Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).  Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rab’s legal and Media Wing, revealed the information while briefing the media on Friday in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar over the arrest.  Recently they arrested four militants -Md Abdul Kader, 24, Md Ismail Hossain,22, Muntasir Ahmmed alias Bacchu,23, and Helal Ahmed Zakaria, 33, he said.  Read more:Rab intensifies anti-militancy drive in CHT, 10 arrested Tipped-off, they were arrested during a drive conducted by Rab-11 and Detective Branch in Laksham on Thursday night.  The elite force also seized some leaflets, books on radical views from the arrestees, Commander Khandaker Al Moin said. During  interrogation they confessed to planning sabotages in different places across the country, said Moin.  They gave concrete information about six council or Shura members of the militant group including its amir (head) Mahmud, he said.  The arrestees also disclosed that the militant group had an agreement with  separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) to provide them shelter and training in exchange of money, he added. “The militant group has provided Tk 17 lakh to KNF to buy arms to train up their members. They gets fund to serve their purposes from different sources,” said the Rab official.  In 2019, ‘Jamatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya’ (Jamatul Ansar of Eastern Hind) was formed.  Some leaders and activists of different levels of banned militant groups of Bangladesh including  Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar Al Islam and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), joined together to start the activities of this radical militant group, said the Rab official. Read more:Militants’ involvement with CHT’s KNF group being investigated: Home Minister On Oct 21, the elite force said they arrested 10 people including seven members of the newly launched militant outfit and three members of  KNF from Bandarban and Rangamati. In 2021, the Amir of Jamatul Ansar fil Hindal Sharqiya had an agreement with the CHT-based armed group KNF regarding militant training in the area till next year, sad Rab.  As per the agreement, Tk 3 lakh per month and food expenses of all KNF members were to be borne, according to Rab. Earlier, on October 10, five men, including three youths, who apparently left home to join militant groups have been arrested by the Rab members from the capital's Jatrabari and Keraniganj. On August 23, eight youths from Cumilla sadar upazila went missing and a general diary was lodged with police in this regard after two days.  The incident sparked a huge sensation across media and social media and Rab started an investigation to rescue the victims and arrest the accused. On September 1, one of the missing youths, Shartaz Islam Niloy, 22, returned home. On October 6, Rab arrested seven people including four missing youths for involvement with a militant group from a drive conducted in Munshiganj, Naryanganj and Mymensingh following the information collected from questioning Niloy. On interrogation, the arrestees revealed that initially the members of the organization used to target youths from different parts of the country, including Cumilla.