Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel on Tues-day seized huge firearms and ammunition, walkie-talkie and remote control sets and grenade parts from a madrassa at Barun-bazar in Borhanuddin upa-zila which was allegedly turned into arsenal of militants.

Official sources said two JMB suspects-one a teacher, the other caretaker of the madrassa-were arrested during the arms haul.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-8 unit of the elite force, led by Major Mamun, raided the foreign NGO-run Islamic educational institution named Green Crescent at about 12 noon.

The madrassa is run by a London-based NGO under the same name, 'Green Crescent', reportedly headed by a Ban-gladesh expatriate.

They searched out a cache of arms that includes two pistols, two revolvers, two shotguns, two rifles, one nipper rifle, 1,000 bullets, 3,000 splinters used for making grenade, several blasters, huge gunpowder, two walkie-talkies, two remote controls and several hundred jihad books from the madrassa.

During the drive, the elite force also arrested Russel, a teacher of the madrassa, and its caretaker Waliullah. RAB sources said the NGO was financed and patronized by Foysal, nephew of former minister Maj Hafeez. They said militants used the madrassa as a "training camp in the guise of teaching orphans".

Police Super Azizur Rahman was on the spot when the last report came at 5:15pm.

The busting of the suspected den of the banned militant outfit took place at a time when a near-phobia about militants prevails following the carnage in the BDR headquarters that left almost al the army officers in command of the border force dead.

Sources:
News: UNB
Photo: Focus Bangla