8 more held for Khagaria polls violence

The Rab in separate drives yesterday arrested eight more people who brandished firearms and sharp weapons during a clash over elections to Khagaria Union Parishad in Chattogram's Satkania on February 7.

At a press conference in the capital's Rab headquarters, Khandaker Al Moin, Rab's legal and media wing director, said the eight were picked up from Bandarban, Chattogram and the capital.

Five firearms and 42 bullets were also recovered, added the Rab official.

The arrestees are: Nasir Uddin, 31, Md Morshed, 26, Md Korban Ali, 37, Md Ismail, 55, Md Mintu, 26, Md Jasim, 24, Md Kayes, 22, and Nurul Absar, 33.

The Rab director said Kayes works at a private organisation in Chattogram city. He used to maintain connections with political leaders in Satkania.

He has a gang of 30 to 40 members. He rented firearms from different sources and handed those to his trusted aides for creating violence, Moin said.

According to the Rab, Nasir is a company employee in the port city. Wearing maroon scarfs and green-red masks, the gang, led by Nasir, opened fire. After the incident, he went into hiding in Bandarban, the Rab official said.

Absar is the manager of an association in Dhaka. He went to Satkania before the election. He coordinated the armed men during the violence. After the incident, he returned to Dhaka, the official said.

Morshed is a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver. Arrestee Jasim, a painter, carried a sack filled with cartridges. Mintu is a driver who carried the outsiders to Khagoria in a microbus, said the Rab official.

Rab said Korban is a security guard who abetted the criminals by providing them with lethal weapons and other firearms. Ismail is a land broker.

THREE STILL AT LARGE

Three more criminals who were seen wielding firearms in photos run by media outlets were still on the run. They are: Kamrul Alam Azad, Md Ezhar and Md Shakhawat.

With the eight arrestees, 10 suspects have been arrested.

Shots were fired when supporters of Awami League chairman candidate Aktar Hossain and independent candidate Jasim Uddin clashed in two polling centres during the UP elections, forcing the authorities to suspend voting there.