Life is back to normal at the house in Dhaka’s Ashkona where law enforcers conducted a massive anti-terror raid in late 2016.
Two terror suspects were killed in the raid, codenamed ‘Operation Ripple 24’, on Dec 24 that year, while two female suspects along with as many children surrendered.
Heavy gunfire as well as grenade explosions left the flat, where the suspects had been living, severely damaged. Investigators took over the premises following the raid for collecting evidences.
“The police handed over the flat to us after completing their work and the authorities helped us to repair it. A new tenant moved in the flat in January but left the next month. We have a new tenant from March,” said Jonaki, the landlord’s daughter.
The building is owned by an expatriate Bangladeshi living in Kuwait.
Following the terror raid, when a female suspect blew herself up and a teenage suspect was shot dead, security measures have been ratcheted up with CCTV cameras at the building.
“The authorities have helped us a lot since that incident. They have advised on security measures, following which the CCTV cameras were installed,” Jonaki’s husband, Md Russell told Bangla Tribune.
He said they now run a detailed background check of tenants while renting out flats. “We also keep ourselves posted about their activities.”
In the early hours of Dec 24, 2016, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) sealed off the building ‘Surja Villa’ at the Ashkona neighbourhood in northern Dhaka.
A teenage boy, later identified as Afif Kaderi, was shot dead while a female suspect Shakira died in a suicide blast as the raid unfolded.
Kaderi’s father, Tanvir died in an anti-terror raid in Dhaka’s Azimpur earlier that year.
The Ashkona raid ended when two other female terror suspects along with as many children surrendered to police.
They were identified as Jebunnahar, the wife of dead terror suspect Zahid, who was a former Bangladesh Army major and Trishamoni, wife of another dead terrorist Musa.
Police found 19 grenades, three fire arms, two suicide vests as well as bomb-making materials after searching the flat.
Local police say the 2016 anti-terror raid has been a wake-up call for Ashkona residents.
“The residents are now more aware and co-operate closely with the law enforcers,” said Inspector Shafiqul Gani Sabu of the local Dakkhin Khan police.
He said they were constantly updating the database of home-owners and tenants.
The counter-terrorism police are in charge of the investigation of the case started by the local police following the raid in December 2016.
Fifteen months later, investigators are yet to file the chargesheet with the court.
Sources at the police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit said several raids were conducted across the country following the Gulshan terror attack and the Ashkona raid was ‘significant for its close links’ with Holey Artisan Bakery incident.
A senior CTTC officer told Bangla Tribune that their investigation was almost complete.
“We are taking time for a flawless investigation report,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan.
The Ashkona house was raided on intelligence inputs suggesting a terror attack on Christmas, according to CTTC chief Monirul Islam.
“Investigations revealed that militants, who were staying at that flat, were planning an attack on Christmas. As the raid unfolded, some of the suspects surrendered while the others were killed,” Islam, a deputy inspector general, said during a Bangladesh Police event on Mar 26 in Dhaka.