Rajib Gandhi leads 23 killings: Police

Staff Correspondent: Jahangir Alom alias Rajib Gandhi who has been arrested by police from Tangail on Friday night, is one of the top leaders of Neo JMB and a mastermind of the attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital's Gulshan diplomatic zone, police said.

 

Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Chief Monirul Islam made the disclosure at a media briefing at DMP Headquarters in city on Saturday.

 

He said Rajib Gandhi led at least 23 killing operations and terrorist attacks including the attacks in Gulshan café, Shia mosque and killings of Hindu priest, foreign nationals, Christians in northern and south-western regions.

 

DMP's CTTC unit arrested Rajib Gandhi, 32, from Elenga bus-stand in Tangail on Friday night.

 

Son of Maulana Osman Gani Mondal and Rahela Khatun of Gobindaganj in Gaibandha district, Rajib Gandhi joined militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh in 2004-05. At first he served as a cook to militant leader Abdul Awal. Later he joined Neo-JMB.

 

A close assistant to Neo-JMB founder Tamim Chowdhury, who was killed in police drive in Narayanganj, Rajib Gandhi served the Neo-JMB as the commander of the outfit for the Northern districts.

 

He had send Khairul Islam and Shariful Islam to the Gulshan attack and Shafiqul Islam Dawn to the Sholakia attack from North Bengal, all of whom he had personally trained, Monirul Islam said.

 

Earlier on July 1 last year, gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital's Gulshan and killed 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals and two police officials.

 

Army and navy commandos stormed the cafe later in the next morning to end the 12-hour hostage standoff which left five attackers and a staff of the restaurant dead.

 

risingbd/DHAKA/14 Jan 2017/Ahmed Nur/Augustin Sujan