Detectives yesterday arrested Abu Walid Chowdhury, manager of Bishwanath Branch of Islami Bank in Sylhet, for assisting Saidur to open the account with Islami Bank's Laldighirpar branch in 1999.

The name of one Sabbir Ahmed was written on the four bank chequebooks seized from the house.

The chequebooks -- two of Islami Bank, Laldighirpar branch, Sylhet (account No 02006789); and one each of Janata Bank, Brahmanbaria branch (account No 11674) and Rupali Bank, Pallabi Branch, Dhaka (account No 8207) -- were found along with a copy of Shabbir Ahmed's bio data, reports our staff correspondent from Sylhet.

The chequebooks of Islami Bank belong to Saidur Rahman, who previously served as Jamaat amir of Habiganj, not Shabbir Ahmed, sources in the police and intelligence agencies said.

Detective Branch police picked up Walid Chowdhury from his bank yesterday evening.

While serving as an assistant officer of Laldighirpar branch of Islami Bank, Walid assisted Saidur as his introducer when the latter went to open the account on February 27, 1999.

Detective and police were interrogating him at Kotwali Police Station in Sylhet till filing of this report at 9:40 last night.

Tk 50,000 was withdrawn from the account on February 22 this year, sources said, adding that no money was drawn after that.

Hridoy Chowdhury alias Moizul, who was arrested with Abdur Rahman on Thursday from East Shaplabagh, wet to the bank with a bearer cheque and drew the money, police said.

"Saidur made a phone call to the bank, asking the officials to give Tk 50,000 to a man he had sent for drawing from the account," said a police source.

WHO IS SAIDUR
Former Habiganj district Jamaat amir Saidur hired a house at Hatimbagh in Shibganj in Sylhet town using the name of Saifur Rahman, sources said.

While on the way to Dhaka immediately after their arrest with Rahman Thursday, Hridoy Chowdhury and Abdul Aziz alias Hanif confessed before Rab men that bomb making materials were kept in that house.

Raiding the house, Rab men recovered seven packets of resistance wire, 1000 pressure switch, 1000 capacitors, 600 integrated circuits (IC), one volt meter, one high voltage battery, one pack of emitter diode, one belt (used for strapping bombs), knives, daggers, light bulbs etc.

Saidur's used to live at Anantapur in Habiganj town until they went into hiding after the August 17 countrywide bomb attack. He hails from Bahubal upazila in Habiganj.

Law enforcers arrested Saidur's son Shamim, who is a former activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, after the August 17 countrywide bomb blasts.

Saidur's only daughter's husband went into hiding after JMB's suicide bomb attack on the Gazipur court premises in last November.