Dhaka: Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a commander of the banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from the city’s South Banasree on Wednesday night.

The arrested individual has been identified as Imam Mehedi Hasan alias Abu Jibril, commander of the banned outfit’s Ad-dar-e Kutni Brigade, an elite of New-JMB Sarwar-Tamim group.

Tipped off, a team of Rab-3 conducted a drive at a house of South Banasree under Khilgaon Police Station at around 12:30 pm and arrested Abu Jibril.

The elite force also recovered two laptops, one mobile phone, books related to religious extremism from his possession.

Briefing reporters at RAB media centre of Karwanbazar, Commanding Officer (CO) of the Rab-3 battalion Lt Col Tuhin Mohammads Masud said the elite force came to know the names of its two operational brigades—Brigade Ad-dar-e Kutni and Brigade Badar Squad- in October 2016.

Of them, the Badar Brigade has been greatly weakened as many of its members were either killed or arrested during countrywide anti-militant drives. Then Brigade Ad-dar-e Kutni was trying to increase its strength recruiting new members as a back up brigade of Neo JMB, the CO of Rab-3 said.

Sources at the RAB-3 battalion said once Mehedi was involved in modeling profession and also running a home decor business. He was involved in militancy when he was s ramp model, Lt Col Masud said.

During preliminary interrogation, Mehedi confessed his involvement in the NEO JMB from 2015.