By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Mar 6 (IANS): A Dhaka court on Saturday placed three members of the banned militant outfit, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), on a three-day remand.

The three members include Mainul Islam, the group's former chief operations coordinator who had planned a major sabotage in Dhaka. He was arrested in 2015.

The other two, Sheikh Sohan Swad and Murad Hossain Kabir, were arrested by a team of Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) from Dhaka's Saidabad area on Thursday evening.

Five litres of acid, a personal vehicle, five mobile phones, a machete, two knives, 10 detonators, 180 bearing iron balls, a scotch tape, three ID cards and some other harmful items were recovered from the arrested members, CTTC officials confirmed to IANS on Saturday morning.

The trio were trying to revive the militant outfit form its Shura (executive) committee, ensure funds, recruit members, collect arms and ammunitions, ensure bail for its jailed members and setting up training facilities in Bandarban-Naikhongchari by taking land on lease.

According to the CTTC, the organisation was being reorganised in 64 districts under Mainul's leadership, full Shura committees were formed, funding was secured, members were procured, weapons were procured, bomb-making equipment was procured, and bail arrangements were made for imprisoned members.

Mainul was working under the direction of another top millitant Abu Saeed, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack, and Mehedi Hasan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 2000 attempted assassination of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A case has been filed against the three under the anti-terrorism law at Jatrabari police station in the capital.