Bangladeshi security officials have arrested the top leader of a Rohingya insurgent group on charges of illegally entering, sabotaging and terrorist activities in the South Asian nation which is facing political instability since the exit of former PM Sheikh Hasina on August 5 last year.
The arrested leader was identified as Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi.
He is the commander-in-chief of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
Apart from Jununi, police arrested 10 others while conducting a raid in Narayanganj and Mymensingh regions of Bangladesh.
More than 1 million Rohingyas, who fled from neighbouring Myanmar, are currently staying in Bangladesh as refugees.
Remand
Bangladeshi law enforcers had produced Jununi and six others before the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court of Narayanganj and sought a 10-day remand in two separate cases.
After the hearing, the court granted a 10-day remand for interrogation, five days in each case, Kayum Khan, Narayanganj court police inspector, told Bangladesh’s leading newspaper The Daily Star.
The five others arrested were identified as Mostak Ahmed, 66; Salimullah, 27; Asmatullah, 24; Md Hasan, 43; and Moniruzzaman, 26.
RAB also arrested three women and a child along with the six. The four were also shown arrested in the two cases and the court sent the arrestees to jail, reported The Daily Star.
Based on intelligence, a team of RAB-11 conducted a drive at the Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj, and Natun Bazar area of Mymensingh on March 16 and arrested the ten, AHM Sazzad Hossain, the commanding officer of Rab-11, told The Daily Star.
A First Information Report was filed with Siddhirganj police station which reportedly mentioned that the arrested people had gathered in the districts and held secret meetings to conduct grievous crimes.
Rab seized Tk 21.39 lakh in cash, a knife, a sharp steel chain and four wristwatches from their possessions, Shahinur Alam, the officer-in-charge of Siddhirganj Police Station, told the newspaper.
ARSA
ARSA is a group that operates from Myanmar’s Rakhine region.
In the region, mostly Muslim Rohingya people have faced persecution.
The group came to light on August 25, 2017 after attacking around 30 police and army posts in Rakhine state, killing 12 people.
The incident triggered a ruthless military counter-attack that forced 740,000 Rohingya to escape to neighbouring Bangladesh.
After the prosecuted Rohingyas took shelter in the squalid camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf, ARSA members have been continuing their targeted killing missions in the camp directed by its commander, reported The Daily Star.
