3 women detained during raid on militant den in Bangladesh

Dhaka, July 1 :  Police in Bangladesh on Saturday detained three women militants and seized weapons, ammunition and explosives, including suicide vests, during a raid on a suspected Neo JMB hideout in Bheramara in Kushtia district, a media report said.

Superintendent of Police, Kushtia, S.M. Mehedi Hossain, said the house near the Upazila town's Taltola Mosque was surrounded around 12 a.m. on Saturday based on information from the Counter Terrorism Unit, bdnews24.com reported. 

Hossain said a woman wearing a suicide vest attempted to attack police during the operation that began around 3 a.m.

"She was stopped before it exploded. Two other women were detained later," he added. 

The women have been identified as Tithi, the wife of neo-JMB leader Ayub Bachchu aka Shojib; Sumaiya, the wife of neo-JMB second-in-command Annaman Ali, and Toli Begum, the wife of Rajikul aka Rashed aka Talha of Bheramara's Daulatpur village, the report said.

Police recovered two suicide vests, a pistol, a magazine and some gunpowder during the raid on the first anniversary of the Gulshan Holey Artisan attack. 

The neighbouring homes have been evacuated as police fear there may be more explosives inside the house.

According to an account in the Daily Star, soon after cordoning off the house, police asked the suspected militants to surrender.

After about five hours of the stand-off, Sumaiya Khatun wearing a suicide vest walked towards the police personnel along with her two sons.

Police foiled her attempt to blast the suicide vest and arrested her, SP Mehedi said.

The house was sealed off and a bomb disposal unit of CTTC in Dhaka was summoned.

The suspected militants rented the house from one Nasima Khatun around two months back, police said.

Police are in search of Nasima Khatun and her family members, the official said.