Angry lawyers in Chittagong have meanwhile detained a colleague for his initiative to move a bail petition of a JMB cadre and turned him in to police.

Barisal police recovered seven bombs, two firearms, several Islamic books and seven bottles of Phensidyle from the house of Hemayet Hossain Howladar and arrested him for his alleged links to militants.

The police also seized a note written to Hemayet's wife Shahida Begum by her brother Enayetullah, reports our Barisal Correspondent.

Enayetullah, a teacher at Andhar Manik Madrasa and owner of Islamia Library at Khunna Bazar in Hizla upazila, asked her to hide the goods "until the situation of the country returns to normal."

The police said the recovered bombs are powerful and similar to those found at different dens of the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

Suspecting Enayetullah a top leader of the outfit's Barisal region, the police raided his house in Hizla but could not arrest him.

Hemayet has claimed to be innocent.

LAWYER DETAINED IN CTG
The lawyers detained and handed Abdul Halim Fakir, 35, an advocate from the Dhaka Judge's Court, over to Kotwali police yesterday, reports our Staff Correspondent in Chittagong.

Following information squeezed out of Fakir, the police arrested the uncle of the JMB cadre at a residential hotel in Laldighirpar.

Court sources said Fakir came to the Chittagong Court Building yesterday noon and moved the bail petition for JMB activist Syed Farhad Nasim alias Bappi at the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Monwarul Islam at 3:00pm.

As the lawyers of the court challenged Fakir, he failed to show valid documents for moving the petition. The angry lawyers rebuked and handed him over to police.

The police in the afternoon arrested Abdur Rouf, 45, Bappi's, at Hotel Sugandha, but could not net two other relatives who were present there, sources said.

Fakir has been handed over to Detective Branch (DB) of police for interrogation.

The DB of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested Bappi along with four more JMB activists at Pallabi in Mirpur in the capital on December 11.

Jahiruddin Jeetu, Bappi's brother and Dhaka district JMB commander, is one of the 21 JMB men who were arrested after a gunfight with police in Joypurhat on August 14, 2003, police said.