Bangladeshi investigators to quiz detained militants in India

Dhaka: Bangladesh is set to send a group of investigators to India to quiz several detained militants who fled the country, including members of banned neo-JMB outfit responsible for carrying out the deadly cafe attack here.

"Several of the Bangladeshi militants fled the country to take refuge there (India) and we have been informed that some of them were arrested by the Indian law enforcement agencies," a senior official at the Bangladesh police headquarters told PTI.

He added: "We will interrogate them (in India) in line with the anti-militant security cooperation between the two countries."

The official preferring anonymity, however, did not specify when the investigators would visit India.

He said taking advantage of the long and porous borders between the two countries, militants as well as other criminals cross the border.

The Bangladeshi team will also question militants from neo-JMB, a group responsible for terror attack on an upscale cafe in Dhaka that killed 22 people, including an Indian girl.

"According to our knowledge six of the JMB men are in their (Indian) custody while some more could have been hiding in India," the official said.

Bangladesh launched a massive crackdown after the July 1 terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan restaurant.

Bangladesh earlier witnessed a spate of gruesome attacks on secular activists, religious minorities, bloggers and foreigners with militants hacking them to death with machetes.

Over 30 militants belonging to Neo-JMB or ABT were, however, killed in encounters since cafe attack.