Rizvi staying at Khaleda's Gulshan office to avoid arrest

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed has been staying at Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office since Friday morning to avoid arrest, sources said.

A Dhaka court on Monday issued arrest warrants against nine BNP leaders including Rizvi in an arson case filed last year.

Party sources said Rizvi was seen in public till Thursday night.

“On Friday morning he held a press briefing at the Gulshan office, but did not come out after the programme,” Sayrul Kabir Khan, a staff of BNP chairperson's media wing, told The Daily Star yesterday.

His mobile phone was found switched off from yesterday morning.

Rizvi earlier on different occasions since 2013 opted to stay at BNP's central office at Naya Paltan to avoid arrest. In late 2013 he stayed there for two months at a stretch. He was however arrested several times from the office.

In early January 2015, police picked him up from the office and admitted him to a hospital saying that he had been feeling ill.

After two days, Rizvi left the hospital without telling the hospital authority and went into hiding since January 6.