The crack forces also seized 220 saris which police said are of government relief fund for the poor, 32 cans of beer and 16 bottles of other alcoholic beverages from his bedroom, and some documents including money receipts for different items. The seized items were kept at Gulshan police station.

Gulshan police filed a case against Moudud, a member of the BNP standing committee, under the Narcotics Control Act.

Moudud was taken into custody by the joint forces and led away from his house in a jeep at 9:40am. He was not handed over to police till filing of this report at 8:30 yesterday evening.

Moudud Ahmed served as a minister in three cabinets since the independence of the country in 1971. He served autocrat Hussain Muhammad Ershad's government both as the prime minister and vice-president.

Staffers of Moudud's house said the army-led joint forces arrived at his Gulshan Avenue residence at 10:45pm on Thursday, 15 minutes after the former law minister had returned home from a visit to a friend's house.

The law enforcers who went there in five vehicles entered the house and conducted extensive searches in all rooms of the two-storey building. Sources said the law enforcers even searched through all the books.

They also interrogated Moudud intermittently during the raid which lasted for almost 11 hours, sources said.

"I came to the house at 8:00am and found the joint forces. At 9:40am the joint forces took sir (Moudud) away in a jeep with a suitcase in his hand," Moudud's personal assistant Shahidul Islam told The Daily Star.

He also said Moudud was not allowed to talk to anyone during the raid.

Moudud's son Aman Moudud and his wife were in the house during the raid. The former lawmaker's wife Hasna Moudud is now on a visit to London.

Officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station Obaidul Haque said the seized saris bear seals marking them as relief goods not for sale.

The joint forces earlier arrested scores of ministers, lawmakers, leaders of major political parties, and businessmen as the caretaker government stepped up its nationwide crackdown on corruption since assuming power.

The already arrested high-profile personalities include former prime minister Khaleda Zia's eldest son Tarique Rahman, and his close friend and business partner Giusuddin Al Mamun.