Online Desk: Cash rewards of Tk 20 lakh have been announced by the government for information leading to the arrest of two fugitive convicts of banned militant organisation Ansar Al Islam.

The two condemned convicts are Mainul Hasan Shamim of Madhabpur under Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj district and Abu Siddique Sohel Sakib of village Bheteshwar under Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat district. A court in Dhaka awarded them death sentences by hanging in publisher Dipan murder case.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal announced the rewards for the arrest of two fugitive militants.

Talking to newsmen at his secretariat office in the capital on Sunday, he said steps would be taken if negligence of anyone is found in snatching the militants from the Dhaka Judge Court premises.

He said, “The two fugitive militants were given death sentences. They are Ansar Al Islam members Mainul Hasan and Abu Siddique. They were brought at court from jail. When they were being returned to jail from the court custody, some accomplices of them fled with them from the court premises spraying some chemical liquid into the eyes of policemen who were guarding them.”

The Home Minister said, “Red alert has been issued. Steps have been taken so that they can’t flee the country through the border. Measures will be taken if anyone’s negligence is found. We hope that they will be arrested soon. Steps will also be taken if anybody’s involvement is found.”

He said it would be known after investigation who were involved in spraying the chemical substance into the eyes of policemen.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has issued ‘red alert’ in the capital in connection with the snatching of two death-row convicts from the Dhaka’s Judge Court premises late Sunday (November 20, 2022) morning.

DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruque confirmed it on Sunday afternoon.

He said, “We have issued red alert. A probe committee has been formed to investigate the incident. Each police station and other units have been asked to set up checkposts to nab the convicts.”

Meanwhile, directive was sent to the sub-ordinate courts across the country at the order of the chief justice to strengthen their security so that any untoward incident happens.

Earlier, two death-row convicts in publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case escaped from Dhaka court premise spraying burning substance into the eyes of policemen.

The condemned convicts are Mainul Hasan Shamim of Madhabpur under Chhatak upazila in Sunamganj district and Abu Siddique Sohel Sakib of village Bheteshwar under Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat district.

They are members of the banned militant organization Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) deputy commissioner Md Faruk Hossain said a team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime  (CTTC) brought the convicts to the court premises at about 12noon. They were scheduled to be produced before the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Tribunal. Suddenly, four people went there and snatched the convicts spraying burning substance into the eyes of on-duty police personnel. They instantly left the place boarding on two motorcycles.

“Checkposts have been set up at all exit points of Dhaka city,” Faruk Hossain added.

Dipan was brutally hacked to death at the Jagriti Prokashoni office on the second floor of Aziz Super Market in Shahbagh on October 31, 2015.

On February 10 last year, a tribunal in Dhaka sentenced eight accused, including the escaped two, to death for killing Dipan.