Bomb scares across Dhaka: Staged drama or real threat?
Sakhawat Hossain
Questions have arisen everywhere as to whether the sudden sequence of bomb and bomb-like object recoveries in the country is a staged drama or a planned attempt to create panic. At a time when the law and order situation is gradually normalizing, such news has sparked intense debate among the public. Some political and crime experts suspect whether this is being done at the instigation of India to stage a renewed “militant discovery” in Bangladesh.
Although law enforcement agencies confirmed the discovery of actual explosives or IEDs in a few incidents, it is crucial to investigate whether these events are being used as a tactic to divert public attention and spread fear for a different purpose.
In some locations where explosives or IEDs were reported, testing revealed no explosive material. Certain officials of the CTTC, SWAT, police, and other agencies faced allegations of orchestrating staged bomb recoveries or attacks during the fascist government’s tenure. On August 1, bomb scares occurred simultaneously in two locations in the capital. Bomb experts later confirmed that the recovered objects were not bombs. However, the recovery of successive bomb-like objects in and around the capital over the following week raised new questions about why panic is suddenly being spread.
Security analysts note that these recent events have increased the risk of rumors and panic while highlighting the need to investigate actual explosive recoveries with the utmost priority. Completing investigations swiftly to identify those responsible, strengthening technology-driven intelligence operations, and raising public awareness will be the most effective steps to prevent potential sabotage. However, intelligence agencies must also examine whether local or foreign networks are orchestrating campaigns to falsely prove the presence or resurgence of militancy in the country, as seen in the past.
A responsible intelligence officer, speaking to Inqilab on condition of anonymity, stated that the sudden bomb scares stem primarily from suspicious abandoned items (such as bags or sacks), fake information or rumors, and a malicious intent to create public terror. Misleading law enforcement or causing a stir in crowded areas could also be key objectives. However, police are investigating the IED recovered in Motijheel as a potential sabotage attempt. He added that top law enforcement and intelligence officials urgently need swift guidance from higher levels of government to uncover who is involved in spreading these mysterious bomb scares and to identify the underlying network.
When asked about the situation, Additional Commissioner of Police and Head of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), Mohammad Shamsul Haque, told reporters that multiple police teams, including the CTTC, are investigating the bomb recovery incidents. He assured that those involved would be identified and brought to justice quickly. Their motives, network, and reasons for attempting sabotage will become clear once arrests are made. He emphasized that the CTTC remains fully prepared to counter any form of sabotage, with intelligence surveillance active on extremist and terrorist groups.
On July 24, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Bomb Disposal Unit recovered a high-powered pipe bomb weighing 1 to 1.5 kg from inside an abandoned umbrella under the Motijheel Metro Rail Station. A pedestrian was injured during its controlled detonation. Six days later, on the night of July 30, an IED assembled inside a pressure cooker was recovered from a travel bag in a grocery store in Ashulia, Savar. Investigation sources revealed that it was fitted with a timer set to detonate at a specific time. Law enforcement agencies are investigating both incidents with the highest priority.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, locals alerted the police after spotting bomb-like objects under the Mirpur-10 and Farmgate metro stations. Upon inspection, the Bomb Disposal Unit confirmed that the object in Mirpur was a betel-nut container, while the sack in Farmgate contained abandoned trash. Most recently, four cocktail-like objects were recovered from a shopping bag left near Elephant Road in the capital. They were retrieved around 10:00 PM on Monday from the road heading toward New Market near Beta Signal.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of New Market Police Station, Mohammad Ayyub, told the media that they received information at 10:05 PM. A police team rushed to the spot and found four round objects wrapped in tape. They then notified the bomb disposal team of the CTTC unit. The CTTC took the objects for testing to verify whether they were cocktails or something else.
When contacted late Tuesday night, Additional Commissioner of Police and CTTC Chief, Mr. Mohammad Shamsul Haque, declined to provide any information regarding the matter, which remains mysterious. However, the DMP Public Relations Division later confirmed that the recovered items were indeed cocktails and were subsequently neutralized.
