Dhaka: Members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested seven suspected followers of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Tejgaon area of the capital on Monday evening.

Various types of gold ornaments, weighing around 67 tolas, Tk 6 lakh, four pistols, five magazines and other materials, including television sets, laptops and motorcycles.  

The arrestees are Md Kashem alias Kawsar alias Kashu, 20, Nazmul Hasan Nayan alias Noresh, 23, Md Rashed alias Kakolir Baba, 27, Md Sentu Hawladar alias Jahid, 26, Md Abu Bakar Siddique alias Shuvra alias Akash, 20, Md Abdul Bashed, 22, and Md Jowel Sarker alias Shourav alias Sarker, 32.

Tipped off, a team of CTTC conducted a drive in the area and arrested them in the evening for their suspected involvement in a robbery incident, said Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Briefing reporters at DMP media centre on Tuesday, Additional Commissioner and head of the CTTC Monirul Islam said members of the banned Islamic outfit JMB have been involved in robbery and mugging to collect money for running the militant organisation as well as to cover the expenses of cases filed against militant leaders detained in jail.

The arrested militants are members of old JMB. Detained Maulana Saidur Rahman and Abu Taslims are their leaders. The arrested JMB members were involved in dacoiy, robbery and mugging to collect money to appoint senior lawyers for pursuing bail of those detained JMB leaders, he added.

‘We’ve already found the involvement of the seven detained JMB members with two robbery incidents in Banani and Tejgaon police station areas,’ the CTTC chief said.