Sherpur, Dec 16 (V7N) – Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has arrested two associates of a suspected facilitator accused of helping those involved in the attempted killing of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi flee across the border.

The arrests were made on Monday morning from their homes in the Garo hill border area of Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur district. The detainees were identified as Benjamin Chiran, 45, maternal uncle by marriage of Philip Snal, and Chisl Nengminja, 28, son of Philip’s close friend Nicholas Remar. Both are residents of Andarupara village under Poragaon Union.

The information was confirmed later that night by Lieutenant Colonel Md Mehedi Hasan, commander of BGB’s Mymensingh-based 39 Battalion. He said BGB remains on high alert in the border areas following the shooting of Osman Hadi.

Earlier, at a press briefing held at the headquarters of BGB Sector 39 in Mymensingh, Sector Commander Colonel Sarker Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman said heightened border security measures were implemented immediately after the attack on Osman Hadi in Dhaka on December 12.

He said that under directives from BGB headquarters, patrols were intensified and checkpoints established between 8:30 pm and 9:00 pm on the night of the incident, with all potential border routes under the jurisdiction of the 39 Battalion identified to prevent the suspects from fleeing the country.

On Saturday, a joint operation by police and BGB led to the arrest of Benjamin Chiran and Chisl Nengminja from the Andarupara area near the Barmari Bottola Christian Mission in Nalitabari. Investigators believe the two assisted Philip Snal in facilitating cross-border movement for individuals linked to the shooting.

Authorities said operations are continuing in the region as part of efforts to track down all those involved in the attack and to ensure that no suspects escape through the border.

END/MMM/SMA/