Dhaka: Jahangir Alam alias Rajib Gandi, one of the masterminds of the terror attack on Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery, was involved in twenty-two killings, said the chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit Monirul Islam.

Earlier on Friday night, the counter-terrorism unit held Rajib Gandhi, who is also known as Shubhash alias Shanta alias Tiger alias Adil alias Jahid, in Tangail.

During a press conference at about 12:30pm on Saturday at DMP media centre, Monirul Islam said Rajib Gandhi was an associate of Neo-JMB chief Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, who died in law enforcer’s raid in Narayanganj.

Rajib Gandhi was the military commander of Neo-JMB’s North Bengal wing, said the CTTC chief.

Monirul said Rajib Gandhi was the frontrunner of twenty-two recent killings of Hindu priests in several districts of North Bengal, Christian and foreigners, attack on Shia mosque, and murder attempts.

Rajib Gandhi, along with Tamim Chowdhury, and Nurul Islam Marzan, was directly involved with the attack on Spanish café Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, said the DMP official.

He said Rajib also trained Shafiul Islam Don for the attack on Sholakia Eid Congregation in Kishoreganj and handed over him to Tamim Chowdhury for the operation.

Monirul said, according to Rajib’s primary confession, he is accused in twenty two cases including Japanese Hoshi Kunio killing case in Rangpur, Tangail’s tailor Nikhil killing case, Pabna’s preist Nityaranjan Pande killing case, Rahmat Ali killing case of Rangpur, Dinajpur’s physician Dhirendranath killing case, and Rajshahi University Professor Rezaul Karim killing case.

On 1 July, seven gunmen entered the Holey Artisan Bakery in the capital’s Gulshan area and took hostage around 40 people, including restaurant staff and guests, both locals and foreigners.

Twenty hostages, including 17 foreign nationals, were killed by militants, while five militants and one suspected associate of the attackers were killed during a commando operation in the café on 2 July.