8 held over producing KNF uniform, placed on five-day remand
Among them, Tariqul Islam is the younger brother of former member of parliament and Chattogram Awami League leader Md Abdus Salam
A Chattogram court today (18 June) granted five-day remand for eight individuals, including the younger brother of a Awami League leader, in connection with the production of uniforms for the banned armed separatist group, the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
The remand order was issued by Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafa after a hearing on a 10-day remand petition submitted by Bayezid Police.
The matter was confirmed by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Mofiz Uddin of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP).
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The individuals placed on remand are Tariqul Islam, Touhidul Islam, Atikur Rahman, Jamalul Islam, Kamruzzaman, Shahedul Islam, Golam Azam, and Niaz Morshed.
Among them, Tariqul Islam is the younger brother of former member of parliament and Chattogram Awami League leader Md Abdus Salam.
Previously on 3 June, the court had granted an initial five-day remand for Tariqul, Touhidul, and Atikur.
The arrests stem from an investigation launched after police seized 20,300 KNF uniforms from a garment factory named Ringvo Apparels in the Noyarhat area of Bayezid on 18 May 18.
Three individuals, including the factory owner Shahedul Islam and two others who placed the order—Golam Azam and Niaz Morshed—were arrested at that time.
On 26 May, another 11,785 uniforms were seized from the warehouse of in the same garments factory in Noyarhat.
Two days later, on 28 May, police recovered approximately 15,000 additional uniforms from a factory on DT Road under Pahartali Police Station, where the factory owner Kamruzzaman was arrested.
On the night of 2 June, four more suspects—including Tariqul Islam, Touhidul Islam, Atikur Rahman, and Jamalul Islam—were arrested following a raid at "Well Composite Knit Chemical Fabrics Dyeing," a factory in Kalurghat.
Police say this factory was involved in supplying raw materials such as yarn and fabric for making the KNF uniforms.
The factory is owned by Well Group, a business conglomerate linked to former Chattogram Development Authority chairman and Chattogram-8 MP Md Abdus Salam, who has reportedly been in hiding since the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024.
Sub-Inspector Iqbal Hossain of the Detective Branch filed a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Bayezid Police Station. According to the case statement, the suspects entered a contract worth Tk2 crore to manufacture the uniforms.
Golam Azam and Niaz Haider reportedly secured the order in March from an individual named Monghlasien Marma alias Mong, with delivery planned for May.
The case also outlines the violent activities of KNF, describing it as a banned armed separatist group operating in Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarban.
Its members are allegedly involved in extortion, murder, abduction, and other criminal acts using illegal firearms.
Police said that the arrested individuals, along with unidentified accomplices, conspired to jeopardise Bangladesh's sovereignty and security by producing uniforms for a terrorist organisation.
The group is accused of attempting to damage public property, spread fear among civilians, and disrupt normal state functions through organised crime and illegal funding sources.
