Babul Akter, additional deputy commissioner of Chittagong police's Detective Branch, told bdnews24.com that JMB military wing chief Md Javed was accompanying police in a raid on the Oxygen-Kuwaish Road very early on Tuesday after interrogation at night.
"That is when a grenade exploded and killed Javed. Three policemen also suffered injuries," Akter said.
Akter said Javed was taken to the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) at 5:45am where doctors declared him dead.
Javed, a textiles engineer by profession, was arrested during a search operation at a house in Chittagong's Khawaznagar Azimparha on Monday evening. Four other JMB activists were also arrested earlier in the day.
Police said nine hand grenades, 120 rounds of ammunition, a pistol, 10 knives and a large quantity of bomb-making materials were seized from them.
ADC Akter had then said that Javed tried to hurl a grenade at police during Monday’s raid, but was apprehended before that.
On Tuesday morning, the police official said that Javed had confessed during interrogation at night of his group possessing more weapons and explosives.
So, Akter said, the police took Javed with them on a raid to recover the weapons early on Tuesday.
“The grenades were kept under a tree on the Oxygen-Kuwaish Road. The explosion took place when the police reached there, which left Javed and three policemen injured,” he said.
The four were rushed to the CMCH where the doctors declared Javed dead, said Akter.
He said Sub inspectors Md Elias and Liakat Ali, and Constable ‘Faysal’ were being treated at the hospital.
According to police, 26-year-old Javed, who was the JMB’s ‘military wing chief’, hailed from Chittagong’s Mirsarai and was involved with the banned militant outfit since 2012.
He was arrested from an apartment at Haji Nur Ahammed Tower at the city’s Khawaznagar.
Javed rented the place in October saying he would live there with his family but instead brought in his associates, said police.
Before Javed’s arrest, police had arrested four other JMB activists from different parts of the city earlier on Monday.
