Two JMB members sentenced to 20 years in prison for 2006 explosives case

A court in Cumilla has sentenced two members of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment each. The case, filed under the Explosive Substances Act in 2006, also saw a third individual, the wife of one of the convicts, sentenced to eight years.

The convicts have been identified as Md Mostafizur Rahman, also known as Mintu, Samad, and Rajib, from Naogaon, and Mohammad Durul Huda, also known as Hasan, from Chakpara in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur. Durul Huda's wife, Khaleda Akter Rani, also received a prison sentence.

The verdict was delivered by Khairun Nessa, judge of Cumilla Additional District and Sessions Judge (Special Tribunal-6) Court. The case originated from a raid conducted by Rab-7 on March 13, 2006, at a house in Bishnupur under Kotwali Police Station. During the raid, the three individuals were arrested along with explosives and bomb-making materials.

Information for the raid was reportedly obtained during the interrogation of JMB chief Shaykh Abdur Rahman, who was in Rab custody at the time. Kotwali Model Police Station subsequently filed the case under the Explosive Substances Act on the same day. The court reached its verdict after examining the statements of 13 witnesses, along with the evidence and documents presented. Following the sentencing, the convicts were transferred to Cumilla Central Jail.