Gulshan Cafe Attack: Police 'need more time to complete probe'

Police need more time to complete the investigation into last year's July 1 café attack in the capital as some militants involved in the terror attack still remain off the hook, investigators said.

“Some are still on the run. But it will not be right to tell how many they are for the sake of investigation,” said Monirul Islam, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, yesterday.

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At the DMP media centre, he said investigators would submit the charge sheet by this year. 

On March 3, Monirul said 20 to 22 people had so far been found involved in the attack that killed 20 hostages, mostly foreigners. 

Two police officials were also killed during the overnight siege.

Monirul earlier said he believed 30-35 people had links to the attack, and of them, some were killed in several anti-militancy drives after the incident.

Three suspects have been arrested so far. They are Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandhi, arms supplier Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan and Rakibul Hasan alias Rigan, according to the CTTC unit.

Hasnat Karim, a former teacher of North South University, is also behind bars as a suspect in the case filed over the attack. Police have been trying to find out if he had any role in it.

Replying to a query, Monirul said investigators would interrogate Ahmed Azwad Imtiaz Talukder alias Omi, who was arrested along with another “Neo JMB” operative on March 7 in Comilla, in the café attack case.

Omi, who had been missing since February 29 last year, was a close associate of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury killed in the police raid in Narayanganj in August last year.

Monirul said the ongoing anti-militancy drive would wipe out the existence of “Neo JMB” within one and a half years, but another militant outfit may arise.