IED Found Near Metro Station; Joint Investigation Launched

Authorities are investigating an improvised explosive device (IED) discovered concealed inside an umbrella near Dhaka's Motijheel Metro Rail Station. Law enforcement agencies are working to identify the perpetrators and their motive behind planting the device, which was found on Tuesday evening. Police have collected CCTV footage from the vicinity and are pursuing several leads. The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, Detective Branch (DB), and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) are jointly investigating the incident. "We started working immediately after the IED was found," said Harun Ur Rashid, deputy commissioner of DMP's Motijheel Division. He added that while investigators are analyzing footage and pursuing leads, there has not been enough progress to disclose details. A case has been filed against unidentified individuals under the Explosive Substances Act and the Penal Code. According to the case statement, a traffic sergeant noticed an umbrella emitting light near the metro station around 6:00 PM on Tuesday and alerted the DMP control room. Police cordoned off the area, diverting a religious procession as a precautionary measure. After the procession passed, the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit confirmed the object was an IED and successfully defused it. During the disposal operation, a passerby sustained shrapnel injuries and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Officials from the Bomb Disposal Unit described the device as containing an electrical circuit, a battery, and approximately 1 to 1.5 kg of sulfur packed inside a metal pipe with small iron balls. It was designed to detonate upon pressing the umbrella's release button. An investigator, speaking anonymously, suggested that preliminary findings indicate the device may have been intended to target the chariot procession, averting a potential major tragedy. Mohammad Shamsul Haque, additional commissioner of DMP and chief of the CTTC unit, stated it is too early to identify those responsible or establish a motive. "Primarily, it appears the device may have been intended to target it. However, we cannot say anything conclusively until the investigation is complete," he added.

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We started working immediately after the IED was found.