They have been packing up things while some of the personal staff of the former premier have already been sent "on leave".

The source said he has seen three suitcases ready.

"We are leaving. Please take care of yourself and look after the house when we won't be around," he quoted Khaleda as telling the caretaker of the Shahid Moinul Road residence.

Earlier on Monday night, she told her staff, "You'd better get ready to go home. We'll be leaving shortly."

A highly placed source told The Daily Star last night that Khaleda might depart for Saudi Arabia at any time, even in the early morning Gulf-bound flights today. The Kuwait Airways, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways are scheduled to head off to the Middle East by 8:30am today.

But the whole process of her departure has been kept in such a secret wrap that no-one from the government or international airlines could tell exactly when they would leave.

She agreed to go abroad following assurance that the government would show leniency to her two sons widely alleged to have been involved in massive corruption during the tenure of the last BNP-led alliance government.

Her younger son Arafat Rahman detained late Sunday night by the army-led joint forces was released yesterday. His other son Tarique Rahman who was arrested last month is behind bars on charge of extortion.