Former AL lawmaker Pavel, 7 others arrested

The Detective Branch have arrested former Awami League lawmaker Saddam Hossain Pavel and seven others for "planning and financing subversive activities".

Saddam, former MP from Nilphamari-3 constituency, was arrested around 10:45pm on Thursday night during a raid in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area, said a press release sent by Dhaka Metropolitan Police's media wing yesterday.

The others were arrested when several DMP teams conducted raids across Dhaka Thursday night, the release added.

The other arrestees are: Tanzil Hossain Ovi, 29, organising secretary of the Bauphal upazila unit of the banned Chhatra League in Patuakhali; Anisur Rahman Hawlader, 43, a union-level Jubo League leader; AKM Khorshed Alam, 65, general secretary of Bangabandhu Kalyan Parishad; Delwar Hossain Bablu, 61, an Awami League leader from ward 32 in Dhaka; Al Mamun Bhuiyan, 29, organising secretary of Jubo League's Uttara east ward 1 unit; Kaykobad Osmani, 53, a central executive member of Jubo League; and Md Anwar Hossain, 60, former president of Khitirpata union AL and ex-UP chairman in Louhajang, Munshiganj.

All are accused in different cases filed with several police stations, the release said.

They had been conspiring together to destabilise the country by disrupting law and order and attempting to spread panic among people through flash processions at different places in Dhaka, the DMP said.