The army chief took the move following a report of the daily Prothom Alo yesterday along with a photo that showed the elderly man being led away by police in handcuffs with a rope tied around his waist to Nilphamari Jail.

General Moeen paid a total of Tk 19,580, which included the original loan of Tk 9,000 and its interest, from his personal fund to the bank (now Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank) through the local army camp.

Advocate Bapi Bardhan appealed and prayed for Manoranjan's bail at the court of District Magistrate Khandakar Mokhlesur Rahman in the morning. Accepting the appeal, the court granted the bail and sent the appeal to the additional district magistrate.

Meanwhile, Abdus Samad, manager of the Bangabandhu Branch of Krishi Unnayan Bank, submitted a compromise deed between the bank and Manoranjan to the court, as the bank received the money.

After the hearing, Additional Magistrate Ayub Hossain discharged Manoranjan from the case. Advocate Ashraful Latif Kibria moved for the complainant in the court.

Manoranjan did not know who actually played the role behind his release when he was freed at about 2:00pm.

"I have only a house on a 4-decimal land where I live with my two sons and grandchildren. I have to spend the night at my nephew Shailen's house, as I have no room of my own. I wondered how I could pay off so much debt. That's why I assumed that I would have to pass the rest of my life in jail."

As soon as he came to know that General Moeen came to his rescue, a tearful Manoranjan said, "May God bless him."

Manoranjan was sent to jail on Sunday as he failed to pay Tk 9,000 with interest to the Krishi Unnayan Bank.

Son of late Padmalochon of Golna village under Kaliganj upazila, Manoranjan took the loan in September, 1988 and bought two cows with it. One of the cattle died, while he was forced to sell the other for the treatment of his ailing wife Dulamoni, who also died. By that time, Manoranjan had repaid Tk 1000.

In 1999, the bank filed a case against him with a Nilphamari court and he was then jailed for 8 days before being freed on bail. The court on June 12 last year sentenced him to six months imprisonment in absentia.

While talking to The Daily Star, Manoranjan's son Nripendranath Roy, 50, burst into tears and said that they could not go to the court to free their father due to financial crisis.