United News of Bangladesh

Police on Saturday said they recovered more than 250kg of bomb-making materials and four crude cocktails from a madrasa in Keraniganj following an explosion that left four people injured. Three women, including the madrasah director’s wife, have been arrested in connection with the incident. The explosion occurred on Friday morning at Ummal Quran International Madrasa in Hasnabad. Police said they received information about the blast around 10:00am. Items seized from the premises included over 250kg of explosive materials, four crude cocktails, a laptop and two computer monitors. Speaking at a press briefing, Dhaka District Police Superintendent Mizanur Rahman said Sheikh Al Amin, 32, had been running the madrasa since 2022 in two rented rooms, accommodating around 25–30 students. He lived with his family in two other rooms of the same building. Al Amin’s three children were present at the time of the explosion. Two of them—Umayet, 10, and Abdur Rahman, 2,—were injured and initially taken to Ad-Din Hospital before being shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for further treatment. Following the incident, the CID Crime Scene Unit, Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and other law enforcement agencies visited the site and launched an investigation. During interrogation, Al Amin’s wife, Asiya Begum, 28, provided information that led to the arrest of her elder brother’s wife, Yasmin Akhter, 30, from Hasnabad, and Asmani Khatun alias Asma, 34, from Basabo, police said. Read more: Case filed over Moghbazar crude bomb blast Police added that Al Amin is currently absconding and is facing at least seven cases in Dhaka and surrounding areas. Multiple cases are also pending against Asmani Khatun. The blast caused cracks in the roof and beams of the building, while two adjacent rooms and a neighbouring structure sustained partial damage. Local residents said the madrasah had around 25–30 students but was closed on Friday due to the weekly holiday. 15-year-old stabbed dead in Keraniganj Humayun Kabir, a resident of a nearby building, said bricks fell on his head during the explosion, causing him to lose consciousness. He was later taken to a hospital by locals. Parveen Begum, the building owner, said the madrasa was previously run by Mufti Harun, who handed over its management to Al Amin and his wife three years ago. “I used to keep in touch regularly but had no idea what was happening in the guise of a madrasa,” she said. Read more: Crude bomb hurled at Grameen Industrial Park in Gazipur