Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) nabbed five activists of a new militant outfit, Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, during several raids in the city’s Gulistan area and Sonargaon in Narayanganj on Sunday night.

They were Md Golam Sarwar, 25, Sakib Mahmud, 27, Md Farhad Hossain, 22, Md Murad Hossain, 21, and Md Wasiqur Rahman aka Nayeem, 28.

Later, the RAB stepped up surveillance and conducted several raids across the country throughout October and November to arrest members of the militant outfit.

Based on interrogations following the arrests, law enforcers learnt that newly recruited youths would receive preliminary training at home or near their home before they left for advanced armed training in the hilly areas of Bandarban and Rangamati.

On October 21, Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya conducted an operation in the remote mountainous regions of those districts.

Law enforcers arrested 10 people, including militant leader Syed Maruf Ahmad Manik and three members of separatist groups in the hill tract areas and seized large amounts of arms and ammunition.

The chief financial coordinator of the group, Muntasir Ahmed aka Bachchu, a senior leader and coordinator named Shujon aka Sohel, Md Ismail Hossain aka Hanzala aka Mansur and its third-highest ranked military coordinator Helal Ahmed aka Zakaria, were arrested on November 3.

During initial interrogation, the detainees confessed that they were brainwashed by close relatives, friends and local acquaintances about two to four years ago and received training themselves, including theoretical and practical, from senior members of the organisation.      Due to the recent operations against Jama’atul Ansar, they had gone underground, but were also following instructions from senior members of the organisation to collect money and other necessary materials for the group and deliver them to where they were needed.