Police checking mobile phones, vehicles at entry points to Dhaka
Some police personnel were seen checking people's mobiles. If anything suspicious was found on the mobiles, they were seizing it
Law enforcement forces have been seen checking people's mobile phones and searching vehicles at various entry points to the capital ahead of massive rallies by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), three associate organisations of Bangladesh Awami League and other political parties scheduled for today.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel set up a check post in Gabtoli on Friday (28 July) morning. RAB personnel on duty told The Business Standard (TBS) they were stopping and checking any vehicle if it looked suspicious.
"We have set up a check post here since 8:30am. We stop any suspicious vehicles and release them after checking. No arrests have been made since morning. We are checking whether there are any explosives or drugs. This is not to harass anyone or for any other purpose," they said.
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In the capital's Abdullahpur, police were seen checking buses and other vehicles.
Some police personnel checked people's mobiles. If anything suspicious was found on the mobiles, they were seizing it.
One person named Fakrul Hasan has been detained at the Abdullahpur checkpoint. He was going to Dhaka from Tongi. A photo of a BNP rally was found on his mobile phone. However, he claimed that he was going to Dhaka on business.
Later two others were arrested. They also claimed that they were not going to join BNP's programme. They alleged that the police checked their mobiles and arrested them after finding pictures of BNP's programme.
However, there was no statement from the police.
Uttara East police station OC Nasir said, "DMP's media cell will inform about this."
He advised to contact the police's media body regarding the issue.
An intensified search operation began at 9pm on Thursday (27 July) at Aminbazar, the entrance to the capital through the Dhaka-Aricha highway. it resulted in slower traffic movement on the Dhaka-bound lane.
Earlier on Thursday, district police members were on high alert outside the 20-Bed Hospital in Aminbazar, Savar. Later in the night, police set up barricades on the Dhaka-bound lane and started searching vehicles.
They were seen inspecting bags of suspicious passengers and interrogating them.
Till 9am on Friday, more than 60 people were seen being taken inside Aminbazar 20-bed hospital. The detainees were then taken to a prison van on the way to Savar police station.
TBS spoke to several people who were detained inside the Aminbazar 20-bed hospital after interrogation and search.
A man named Fazlul Haque, who was detained there, said, "Two of us left for Dhaka in a Hiace microbus from Chandra to buy goods for business in the morning. When the car arrived at the check post, the police stopped and interrogated us. The police later checked the mobile and found a photo of the BNP rally on my Facebook, so they locked us both here, not letting us go anywhere. They also took our mobile phone."
Sohail, who was detained while on his way from Rangpur to Dhaka at the check post, said, "There is a training session at brac. We two friends left for Dhaka in the night on a bus. At the check post in the morning, the police wanted to know where I was going. Later, the police detained me as I did not have an identity card. My friend was let go since he had a Brac card."
Dhaka District Additional Superintendent of Police (crime), Abdulla Hil Kafi, stated that routine search activities were being emphasised due to the upcoming events of two political parties in Dhaka, with the aim to prevent any potential acts of anarchy.
Meanwhile, the road from Shantinagar intersection to Paltan was closed down on Friday morning.
Buses coming from Gazipur were seen turning around and going back.
