Two Dhaka Metro Stations Shut After Suspicious Bags Found

Operations at the Mirpur-10 and Farmgate metro rail stations in Dhaka were temporarily suspended on Saturday after two suspicious bags or sacks were found at separate locations, prompting a security response from police and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) bomb disposal unit.

The first suspicious item was spotted at around noon on the second floor of Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station. At roughly the same time, another suspicious sack was found beside a pillar on the ground floor of Farmgate Metro Rail Station.

The discovery of the two unattended items led authorities to take precautionary measures and temporarily halt activities at both stations. Police cordoned off the relevant areas as specialist teams were called in to examine the objects and determine whether they posed any threat.

Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station, said metro rail authorities informed police after a suspicious bag was found on the second floor of Mirpur-10 station. Officers subsequently secured the area, while a team from the DMP’s bomb disposal unit arrived at the scene.

The police official said it would only be possible to establish whether the bag contained explosives or another object after the specialist team had completed its examination. Until then, authorities were treating the item as potentially hazardous and maintaining the necessary security precautions.

Meanwhile, Ibn-e-Mizan, deputy commissioner of the Tejgaon division, said a suspicious sack had been found beside a pillar on the ground floor of Farmgate Metro Rail Station. The bomb disposal unit was also alerted to inspect the item.

No confirmation was immediately available that either of the objects contained explosives. The presence of unattended or suspicious packages in a busy public transport facility, however, can trigger an immediate security response because of the potential risk to passengers and staff. Such measures typically include restricting access to the area, keeping people at a safe distance and allowing trained personnel to assess the object before normal operations resume.

The incident comes as Dhaka’s metro rail system continues to serve large numbers of daily commuters, making station security and passenger safety a key operational concern. Any disruption at major stations can also affect travel for people relying on the network to move through the capital.

For the time being, the focus remains on the assessment by the bomb disposal specialists. Authorities are expected to determine the nature of the two suspicious items after completing their examinations. Until those checks are concluded and the locations are declared safe, precautionary restrictions at the affected stations may remain in place.