Law enforcement agencies have yet to identify those behind an improvised explosive device (IED) found concealed inside an umbrella near Motijheel Metro Rail Station or determine the motive, a day after its discovery.
Police have collected CCTV footage from the surrounding area, while the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, DB and Rab are jointly investigating the incident.
"We started working immediately after the IED was found," Harun Ur Rashid, deputy commissioner of DMP's Motijheel Division, told The Daily Star.
"Investigators are analysing CCTV footage and pursuing several leads, but there has not been enough progress to disclose," he added.
A case was filed with Motijheel Police Station against unidentified individuals under the Explosive Substances Act and the Penal Code.
According to the case statement, a traffic sergeant spotted an umbrella emitting light near the metro station around 6:00pm yesterday and alerted the DMP control room.
Police cordoned off the area and diverted devotees participating in a return chariot procession, citing a "short circuit".
After the procession passed, the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit identified the object as an IED and safely defused it.
A passerby sustained shrapnel injuries during the disposal operation and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Bomb Disposal Unit officials said the device contained an electrical circuit, a battery and around 1 to 1.5kg of sulphur packed inside a metal pipe along with small iron balls. It had been designed to detonate when the umbrella's release button was pressed.
An investigator, requesting anonymity, said preliminary findings suggested the device may have been planted to target the chariot procession and that a major tragedy had been averted.
Mohammad Shamsul Haque, additional commissioner of DMP and chief of the CTTC unit, said it was too early to identify those responsible or establish a motive.
“The case statement mentions that a chariot was on the road where the IED was found. Primarily, it appears the device may have been intended to target it. However, we cannot say anything conclusively until the investigation is complete,” he added.
