There is a large number of followers of Ahle Hadith and members of JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen, Bangladesh) in the areas, it was gathered during a recent visit.

Police so far arrested around 45 suspected militants from the areas, but the 'top ten' who recruited and organised the militants are evading arrest, police sources said. Of them 19 were arrested since Tuesday's suicide bombing in Chittagong and Gazipur court premises.

The mosques are located in Dhanchala, Dakkhin, Taktarchala , Phoolgachichala and some other villages of Mirzapur upazila and Nalua, Taktarchala Uttar Para, Maolana Para, Hatibandha and Kamilachala villages in forests areas of Sakhipur.

The JMB suicide bomber Abul Bashar alias Abul Bashar alias Hossen Ali who killed one policeman and injured many people in Chittagong court premises on Tuesday last used to stay at Taktarchala Maolana Para Mosque. His brother-in-law Imam Ali is the Imam of the mosque.

Hossen Ali, 17, a student of class ten of Nalua Based Khan High School in Sakhipur, was a member of JMB suicide squads.

Imam Ali was not found on Wednesday and the mosque was also closed.

Unknown persons used to visit the Taktarchala Dakkhin Bazar mosque and held meetings with madrasa students. Talking to this correspondent on Wednesday, its Imam Abdullah-hel-Baki admitted this.

Some local people said they were told that the visitors were Islamic scholars from Medina University in Saudi Arabia. Their visit was stopped two years ago when some local influentials raised objection.

The locals said people from far away areas also visited the mosque, identifying themselves as madrasa students or teachers.

Of the arrested JMB suspects, 19 are in Tangail jail, five on remand and one sent to Dhaka for interrogation.

Police said they netted eight persons from Delduar upazila, six from Basail, three from in Ghatail, four from Kalihati, three from Sakhipur and one from Mirzapur.

Among the arrestees, at least 19 militants are now remaining in the District Jail, five on remand and one was sent to Dhaka earlier.

Of the militants, Delwar Hossen, of Araihazar in Narayanganj district and Yameen Miah, 17, of Delduar of Tangail, arrested from Baropakhia Quami Madrasa in Delduar on August 28, gave confessional statements before a First Class Magistrate in Tangail.

Meantime, security has been beefed up in and around Tangail District Jail. Several checkposts manned by armed police have been set up on streets around the jail, sources there said.

JMB in a letter earlier threatened to blow up the district jail.

Jailor ABM Fattah said additional security measures have been taken for protection against suicide bombing.

The JMB suspects arrested since Tuesday are Idris Miah, Sona Miah, Yakub Miah, Abdul Karim, Yahiya Miah and Anwar Hossen of Habla Dakkhin Para village in Basail upazila; Nazrul Islam of Taktatchala village and Abdul Aziz of Pahar Kanchanpur village in Sakhipur; Mizanur Rahman of Behalabari village, and Shamim Ahmed, Masum- bin-Azad and Rabbani of Balla Dakkhin Para village in Kalihati; Sadat Hossen of Madarkol village in Delduar; Zohirul of Ramdevpur village, Al Mamun of Garasin village and Noor Mohammad of Kumulli Khan Para Village in Tangail Sadar upazila and Mamun-or-Rashid of Hargram village in Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi district.

They are being interrogated in different police stations, police sources said.

High police officials when contacted said they have intensified drives against militants. But the listed 'top JMB cadres' including Shoeb, Russel, Arman-bin-Azad and Khaled Siddiky are still evading arrest.