11 more arrested over attacks on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star
Total arrests rise to 28
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) today (23 December) arrested 11 more people in connection with the attacks, vandalism and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in the capital, bringing the total number of arrests to 28 so far.
Confirming the latest arrests, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Muhammad Talebur Rahman said nine of the detainees were picked up by the Detective Branch (DB) following continued investigations into the incidents. At the same time, Tejgaon police arrested two more individuals.
According to DB sources, on the night of 18 December, a group of unruly individuals carried out a reprehensible attack on the offices of the daily Prothom Alo and The Daily Star located in Karwan Bazar in the capital. Following the incident, the DB collected CCTV footage and conducted a series of operations to identify and arrest those involved.
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Earlier, the DMP had identified 31 individuals through the analysis of video footage related to the attacks that took place in the Karwan Bazar area. Of them, 17 had been arrested until yesterday.
A case has been filed over the arson attack, vandalism and looting at the office of the English daily The Daily Star in Tejgaon, Dhaka, accusing 350-400 unidentified people.
The amount of damage has been estimated at Tk40 crore.
The case was filed last night (22 December) at Tejgaon Police Station by The Daily Star's Head of Operations Mizanur Rahman, as the plaintiff.
Earlier on the same day, another case was filed at Tejgaon Police Station against 400 to 500 unidentified people under the Anti-Terrorism Act regarding the arson attack and vandalism at the Prothom Alo office.
The accused have been charged with rioting, unlawful entry, looting, vandalism, arson with intent to kill, intimidation and destruction of evidence.
The case also includes allegations of attempting to halt the publication of Prothom Alo and obstructing office work, inciting criminal activities through online instructions, and carrying out acts of sabotage.
The case further states that assets worth Tk2.50 crore were looted during the attack, while Prothom Alo estimated the total damage at Tk32 crore.
Police said arrest operations are ongoing as investigations continue into the attacks on the two newspaper offices.
