Crude bombs explode at Banglamotor; 2 suspected attackers held after NCP men in car chase, ram their bike
The incidents took place a little before 11pm, according to witnesses.
Two men on a motorcycle exploded multiple crude bombs at the capital's Banglamotor intersection on Monday night (10 November), leading to a car chase and crash that ended in the detention of both suspects.
The incidents took place a little before 11pm, according to witnesses.
Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division, confirmed to The Business Standard that police have taken both men into custody.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Mainul Hossain, coordinator of the National Citizen Party's (NCP) Dhaka North unit, who was in the car, told TBS the attackers hurled several bombs at their vehicle when they were leaving the party headquarters located at Banglamotor intersection.
As the bombs missed the vehicle, he said, they decided to chase the motorcycle. They managed to ram the two-wheeler from behind in the Eskaton Garden area.
Mainul said the NCP leaders and activists, and bystanders managed to catch one of the attackers there after the motorcycle crashed, while another one fled.
Angry locals and NCP men were seen beating the detainee, while some stopped them and suggested handing him over to the police, according to our correspondent, who was present at the scene.
In a Facebook post, Ashrefa Khatun, former spokesperson of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, which was recently rebranded as NCP's student wing Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, said the other suspected attacker was caught by the party's leaders and activists from near the InterContinental Dhaka intersection.
According to a message from the NCP Media Cell, the attackers reportedly hurled five crude bombs in front of the party office – four of which exploded, and the other did not.
The detainee who was beaten was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment, according to Ramna police.
Meanwhile, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver named Nur-e-Alam suffered minor injuries when the suspects exploded the bombs at Banglamotor.
The incident follows a spate of bomb blasts, arson, and killings in the last few days in the capital, raising concerns over security despite heightened law enforcement measures ahead of the banned Awami League-announced 13 November "Dhaka lockdown".
In just two days, several locations have seen crude bomb explosions, while today (10 November), a gangster was shot dead in Old Dhaka, and three buses were torched.
Analysts said the incidents are deepening public anxiety as political tensions mount ahead of the national elections. They warned that failure to contain violence could further erode law and order in the days ahead.
"Pre-election periods are always tense," said Touhidul Haque, a sociology professor and crime analyst at Dhaka University. "Parties try to prove their strength by taking to the streets, which fuels clashes and factional violence. If law enforcers fail to act firmly and visibly, the situation could spiral out of control."
