BNP leaders Abbas, Alal held

BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas and Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal were arrested in the capital's Shahjahanpur and Kathalbagan areas last night.

Detective Branch chief Harun Or Rashid told The Daily Star that the two were taken to the DB office.

They were arrested in a case filed with Paltan Police Station on October 28 over the death of a police constable.

Police said the BNP leaders will be produced before a court today.

On Sunday, DB picked up BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir from his Gulshan home. He was later shown arrested in a case and a Dhaka court sent him to jail.

In Dhaka alone, more than 6,500 people have been sued in 37 cases on Sunday and Monday. Of them, 1,544 are named, according to police.

Lt Gen (retd) Sarwardy detained

Detectives yesterday held Lt Gen (retd) Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy from Savar, reports UNB.

He too was taken to the DB office, said Faruk Hossain, deputy commissioner (DC-media) of the DMP.

A team of the DB police led by its chief Harun arrested him in a case filed with Paltan Police Station in Savar.

A person identified as Mahiuddin Shikdar lodged the case against Sarwardy on Sunday night, said Faruk.

Sarwardy's arrest came hours after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a press briefing urged the authorities concerned to find and quiz him. 

On Monday, Mian Zahidul Islam Arefy, who claimed to be an "adviser to US President Joe Biden," at the DB office said, "Sarwardi brought me to the BNP party office to discuss their programme. They requested me to deliver a speech."

Arefy was detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Sunday and is now being interrogated.