Members of Bangladesh Army discovered a secret hideout of the United People Democratic Front (UPDF) (Main) in the Kaukhali area of Rangamati on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, an army patrol team carried out a special operation targeting high-ranking UPDF miscreants and located the hideout, according to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Sensing the presence of the army, the miscreants fled the scene, it said.
During a subsequent search, recovered several items, including 17 rounds of pistol ammunition, a binocular, a walkie-talkie set, a hard disk, uniforms of the miscreants, extortion receipts, and other various equipment were seized.
Baitul Mukarram to Paltan and Bijoynagar turned into a battlefield after jumma prayers on Friday due to a chase and counter-chase between law enforcers and activists of the banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Police had to fire sound grenades and teargas shells to bring the situation under control.
Police and witnesses said the incident broke out when Hizb ut-Tahrir members brought out a procession from the south gate of Baitul Mukarram after the jumma prayers.
Earlier, defying a warning from Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the banned organisation brought out a procession chanting, “The only path to liberation—Khilafah, Khilafah.”
A few days ago, Hizb ut-Tahrir had announced a “March for Khilafah” at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram.
Toby Cadman, Special Advisor to the ICT Chief Prosecutor has urged the Interim Government of Bangladesh to refer the cases of the July-August massacres to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Cadman, who has extensive experience as an international criminal law specialist worked in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Yemen, Syria, and Ukraine, made the recommendation when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna here today, CA press wing sources said.
They discussed in details how Dhaka would involve the International Criminal Court in The Hague on the issue.
The discussions revolved around the potential for international cooperation and the roles and responsibilities of the court in relation to Bangladesh quest for justice.
Due to certain absconding accused being shielded by foreign states, cooperation with the ICC under the principles of complementarities is required, and the two institutions should work closely together to ensure that the perpetrators are held fully accountable, the sources said.
The meeting commenced with a detailed discussion on the progress and challenges faced by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States (US) sent home the highest remittance amounting to US$491.26 million in February, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data.
Following the political changeover in August, remittance inflows from the US have seen a significant rise, enabling the US to surpass the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had long been the leading source of expatriate income.
The UAE was in the second position with a total of $334.94 million in remittances sent to Bangladesh in the previous month.
The expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the country which hosts most of the Bangladeshi migrant workers, sent around $328.84 million in remittances, putting the country in third place.