Dhaka: Detectives are yet to find any link of detained 14 Bangladeshi expatriates to Islamic State and al-Qaeda, an allegation over which they along with 13 others were deported from Singapore.

After prima facie interrogation, the Detective Branch of police, however, found the link of the 14 detainees to radical group Ansarullah Bangla Team, says a UNB report.

‘We’re yet to find any link of the 14 detained Bangladeshis to IS or al-Qaeda, but they revealed that they’re followers of Ansarullah Bangla Team,’ said joint commissioner (DB) Monirul Islam while briefing reporters at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Media Centre on Thursday afternoon.

The 14 Bangladeshi expatriates who were deported from Singapore along with 13 others between November 16 and December 11 last are now behind the bars.

They are Md Jafar Iqbal, Golam Jilani, Md Syful Islam, Md Nurul Amin, Mahmudul Hasan, Md Aminur, Abdul Alim, Md Shah Alam, Akram Hossain, Alam Mahbub, Md Aminur, Abdul Ali, Parvez Dollar, Md Jasim and Md Ashraful.

Monirul said police detained 27 Bangladeshi expatriates from different areas of Uttara following their deportation from Singapore.

After preliminary interrogation, 13 of them were freed as there was no evidence of their connection to militancy, he said, adding that the rest 14 were found involved in radical banned Islamic outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team.

Those released are now under strict surveillance, the DB joint commissioner said.

A case was filed with Uttara East Police Station under the Anti-terrorist Act on December 21 last against the 14 Bangladeshis.

‘If needed, we’ll further interrogate them taking them on remand,’ Monirul said.

Replying to a query, he said the investigators found that the deported people had been working as construction workers in Singapore for the last 2-8 years.

After verifying their previous records, detectives got sure they had no connection with any radical group or any political party when they were staying in Bangladesh before their departure for Singapore, the DB official added.