Militant's wife involved in snatching of 2 convicts: CTTC

Fatima Tasnim Shikha was actively involved in the plot to whisk away two militants including her husband from a Dhaka court premises on 20 November last year, according to the CTTC unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

"The escapees, Abu Siddique Sohel and  Mainul Islam Shamim, are still in the country and the operation to arrest them is underway," said Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Md Asaduzzaman in a press conference on Saturday (8 April).

About the plot, the CTTC chief said Fatima communicated the plan to her husband Sohel, while visiting him in jail six months before the incident.

"The attack was carried out under the leadership of Mashiur Rahman Arphan who along with Fatima were in position near the court on the day of the incident," said the CTTC chief adding that 10 to 12 people were involved in the snatching.

He said they held meetings in several phases at a residence in Narayanganj's Rupganj area before acting on the plan.

Asaduzzaman said Fatima got involved in militancy in 2014 through her brother militant leader Mozammel Hossain alias Simon. Later she got married to militant leader Abu Siddique Sohel. 

"Even after Abu Siddique Sohel got arrested as accused of murdering blogger Abhijit Roy, Jagriti Prakashani publisher Faisal Arefin Deepan and others, Fatema maintained close contact with her imprisoned husband," the CTTC official said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka on Saturday granted a five-day remand against Fatima Tasnim Shikha and Husna Akhtar, who were arrested in the case of snatching the militants.