Fire service officials yesterday drained water from the basement of a building adjacent to the demolished residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi-32, addressing speculation about the existence of secret detention centres, commonly referred to as Aynaghar.

They confirmed that the space was intended for an elevator in the basement.

"A fire engine began pumping water from the area around 10:00am, but no items or hidden structures were found after drainage," Mizanur Rahman, station officer of Mohammadpur Fire Station, told The Daily Star.

"The space, about five feet deep, is designated for an elevator in basement-2. It had partially filled with rainwater due to the absence of a roof in that area," he said.

The building's basement layout was typical of many others.

The site continued to attract large crowds as curious onlookers gathered around the demolished building, eager to glimpse the area speculated to be "Aynaghar".

Forty-year-old Moina Begum, a house help, travelled from Ashulia to Dhanmondi-32 around 10:00am and waited for hours, hoping to witness the unearthing of the supposed detention site.

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In pictures: Demolition of Dhanmondi-32 residence

"I took leave from my employers and came here to see Aynaghar, but I found nothing," she said.

As in previous days, scrap collectors were seen salvaging materials from the debris. This correspondent visited the site around 3:00pm and observed no police presence.

Kamal Hossain, a middle-aged man, was using a hacksaw to cut rods from chunks of concrete. He and three others from Mohammadpur have been collecting saleable items from the rubble daily since the demolition began on February 5.

"We are collecting rods from the debris as no one stops us," Kamal said, adding that they gather nearly 15kg of rods each day on average.

Several others, mostly low-income individuals, were seen breaking parts of the pillars with hammers to extract bricks and rods, which they sell to recyclers.

The protest and subsequent demolition of the Dhanmondi-32 building began following an announcement that Sheikh Hasina would deliver a speech online on February 5.

Protesters had created a Facebook event titled "Bulldozer March," calling for people to assemble at Dhanmondi-32 at 7:30pm that day.

Large crowds gathered, and by 9:30pm, the building was set ablaze. Shortly before midnight, a crane and an excavator arrived at the scene. Over the next few hours, parts of the building were razed to the ground. By 11:00am the following day, the heavy equipment had left the site.