26 held over BTRC building vandalism

Twenty-six individuals were arrested on Thursday evening following vandalism at the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) building in Agargaon under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station area of the capital.

The arrested were identified as Md Sabbir, 24, Md Shahin, 26, Md Rifat, 19, Md Moin, 22, Md Anik, 27, Md Tarek, 24, Md Rifat, 23, Md Hanif, 25, Md Rabbi, 32, Md Sohanul, 24, Dipak Hajra, 26, Tarek Aziz, 25, Md Sazzad, 19, Md Shipon, 23, Md Siam, 23, Md Ones Imran, 24, Md Monir, 25, Md Haris, 27, Md Matiur, 48, Md Sabbir, 22, Rajon Sheikh, 31, Abu Sadiq, 29, Md Mamun, 24, Mojibor, 32, Md Salauddin, 39, Md Rakib, 23, Aminul Islam, 24 and Sobuj, 30.

According to authorities, a group of mobile phone traders carried out the attack on Thursday afternoon, protesting the launch of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR). The situation was later brought under control by the army.

A senior officer from 46 Independent Infantry Brigade confirmed the incident on Thursday night and said that those arrested were handed over to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station for legal action.

National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR) was officially launched on Thursday to curb the use of illegal handsets. Under the system, all mobile phones operating on local networks are required to be registered through their IMEI numbers in a national database, preventing unregistered devices from accessing mobile services.

AM