Bomb scare in Sonargaon: Bag found with clothes after 2.5-hour operation

A bomb scare spread in Narayanganj's Sonargaon after a locked bag was found lying beside the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. Police, DB, RAB and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Bomb Disposal Unit conducted an operation for nearly two-and-a-half hours before confirming there was no explosive in the bag. Later, some clothes, a purse, a national ID card and a professional driving licence were recovered from inside.

The bag was spotted lying at a filling station in the Nayapara area of the upazila around 6:30pm on Saturday (July 25). Eyewitnesses said a woman had left the bag and walked away. When no one came to collect it for a long time, the filling station employees grew suspicious and informed police around 12:30am.

Upon receiving the information, law enforcement personnel rushed to the scene and cordoned off the entire area. In the interest of security, traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway was halted for about half an hour, causing long tailbacks on both sides of the road and drawing crowds of curious onlookers.

Around 2am, the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit began examining the bag using special technology. Around 2:15am, the bag was opened and it was confirmed that there was no bomb or explosive inside. Traffic on the highway then returned to normal.

Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Tareq Al Mehedi said the bag contained a national ID card belonging to Mosammat Rekha Begum, a resident of the Kallyanpur Madhupur area of Belkuchi upazila in Sirajganj, a professional driving licence in the name of her husband Md Mosharraf Sarkar, a purse and some torn clothes.

He said police are investigating why the bag was left there and are examining the matter seriously.