Doctor held over missing youths with suspected militant links

Police have arrested a doctor over seven youths with suspected militant links going missing nearly three weeks ago.

Police’s Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime unit or CTTC revealed the news of Shakir Bin Wali’s arrest on Wednesday after the Criminal Investigation Department denied taking him away from his home in Dhaka’s Rampura earlier this week.

His father AKM Waliullah, an ophthalmologist, said men posing as CID officials detained Shakir on Sunday.

The CTTC, however, claimed they arrested him on Tuesday and a court granted them five days to grill him in custody on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com. 

Another suspect, Abrarul Haque, was also remanded with Shakir in a case with Rampura Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The families of seven youths filed a general diary at Kotwali Police Station in Cumilla, saying they did not return home after leaving on Aug 23.

They ran into police in Chandpur the same night, and the law enforcers put them in a hotel, from where they fled, saying their parents arrived to take them home.

The missing youths are Imran Bin Rahman, 17, an HSC candidate of Cumilla Victoria College, his classmate from the same college “Sami”, 18, Hasibul Islam, 18, another HSC candidate from Cumilla Govt College, his classmate Nehal Abdullah, 17, Ahmed Rifat, 19, a first-year student of Victoria College, Aminul Islam Al-Amin, 23, a third-year student at the institution and Sartaz Islam aka Niloy, 25, a graduate of computer science from Dhaka’s Daffodil University.

Niloy, the most senior among the youths and cousin of Nihal, might have influenced the students to leave home, some of the families of the students believe.

Niloy lived in Dhaka while the others resided in Cumilla.

Shakir recently completed his MBBS degree from Cumilla Medical College. He was preparing for his FCPS exam in January, according to his family.

The CTTC was investigating whether the youths had any links to militants.

CTTC chief Asaduzzaman on Wednesday said the young doctor “recruited” the youths after inspiring them into jihad. “We are trying to get more information from him.”

Officials of the police unit specialised in countering terrorism said they have evidence Shakir had met the youths several times and helped them after they left home for so-called hijrat, or hegira – migration for the cause of Islam.

According to the charges brought against Shakir, he helped organise military training for young recruits.

Shakir’s father Waliullah denied the allegations brought against the young doctor at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He said they believe the charges against his son will be proved wrong in the trial.