The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) claimed that arrested Jubo Dal president Sultan Salauddin Tuku is the mastermind behind the railway sabotage in Gazipur.
Additional Commissioner of DMP and CTTC chief Md Asaduzzamandisclosed the information at a press conference at DMP Media Centre in the capital Dhaka on Monday.
“Former Jatiyatabdi Chhatra Dal (JCD) vice-president and current Jubo Dal leader Ikhtiyar Rahman Kabirsabotaged the railway track in Gazipur as per the orderofSultan Salauddin Tuku,” he said.
Tuku had aplan to create panic among the people by sabotaging railway track in Gazipur,the CTTC chief added.
Later,Tukucommunicated Kabir and informed him that there was pressure on him from the BNP high command to dosomething more destructive. Tuku also told Kabir that BNP high-ups provided a huge amount of money from the party fund for the purpose, according to CTTC official.
The CTTC chief said, "There have been incidents of vandalism, arson, and bomb blasts in the capital. But trains are runningnormally. People use railway for safe journey. So, they planned to sabotage the railway track. The aim was to cause massive casualties on the railway.”
Kabir, instructed by Tuku, contacted two leaders of Gazipur’s Kazi Azim Uddin College unit JCD’s former convener Toha and Gazipur Metropolitan unit JCD organizing secretary Masum, he added.
“They had been tasked with the job to execute the plan. They had been also asked to select a point of rail line for the sabotage. To implement the plan, Toha and Masum held a meeting withWard Councilor of Gazipur City Corporation Hasan Azmal Bhuiyan and finalized astrategy to execute the plan,” the CTTC chief said.
Initially, this group had plan to remove nuts and bolts from the railway track, but failed to do it. Later, they decided to cut the railway track. As they needed more people for doing this, the group contacted JCD president Emon Hossain of Ward No 24 under Lalbagh police station.
“On December 10, Kabir, Emon, Toha and Masum bought all necessary equipment from a shop in Nawabpur of Old Dhaka and kept it at Emon's house. As per the plan, they went to Gazipur on December 12. On the day, Emon and Kabir went to Joydebpur Railway Station. Toha and Masum made all preparations, including renting a microbus and buying a gas cylinder,” CTTC chief Md Asaduzzaman said.
On the night of December 13, a total of nine people gathered on the spot and started cutting the railway line, he said.
CTTC recovered cutters and other items from the possession of the arrestees on Sunday.
Aslam Mia, a chicken dealer, was killed and 10 people, including the train driver and his assistant, were injured in derailment of the train on December 13.
Earlier, police arrested several people, suspecting them to be involved the Gazipur railway track sabotage.