Narsingdi: Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) formally called off their drive at Gabtali Uttarpara 'militant den' in Narsingdi Sadar upazila on Sunday morning after the surrender of five suspected militants.

Director (media wing) of RAB headquarters Mufti Mahmud Khan said the five militants who were inside the house surrendered to the law enforcers at about 10:00am.

Mahmud Khan then declared that their 10-hour drive was over.

Meanwhile, relatives of the five 'militants' contacted RAB personnel on Saturday night and they helped the law enforcers to make the militants surrender, said the RAB official.

The RAB members asked the 'militants' to surrender through their relatives in the morning, he said.

Later, he said, the arrestees were sent to Dhaka for interrogation, but he did not disclose their names.

The bomb disposal unit of RAB found no arms or explosives after searching the house.

However, the district administration is yet to withdraw section 144 from the area, said deputy commissioner Dr Subhash Chandra Biswas, adding that they have not got any formal clearance from the RAB officials.

Replying to a query, Mufti said they cordoned off the house based on information that the suspected militants had a link with those killed in Atia Mahal drive in Sylhet.

It is still not clear whether the five arrestees have involvement in militancy, he said.

Saidur Rahman, one of the arrestees' relative, told local journalists that the five arrestees are Abu Jafar, a postgraduate student of Dhaka University's English Department, Mashiur Rahman, Bashirul Islam, Masudur Rahman and Salahuddin. Of them, Masudur Rahman and Salahuddin are the students of a local madrasah.

Jafar used to live at the rented house along with Mashiur and Bashirul, while Masudur and Salahuddin came to Jafar on Saturday afternoon for private tuition, Saidur added.

RAB members in association with local police cordoned off the house owned by Moin Ahmed, a United Arab Emirate expatriate, suspecting the presence of militants there on Saturday afternoon.

Locals said three students rented the house last month.