Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and police raided Fatikchhari, Hathazari and Raozan in the night and made the arrests, police said yesterday.

Some of the arrestees face various criminal charges and are being questioned for Jamal's whereabouts, officials said.

Meanwhile, a United People's Democratic Front activist, Kilo Marma, who was arrested two days ago at Lakkhichhari in Khagrachhari, was placed on a five-day remand.

Though police said Kilo was arrested in connection with Jamal's abduction, they remained tight-lipped about information gathered from him, sources said.

Local criminals might have passed Jamal to ethnic gangs in Khagrachhari, police believe.

Abductors demanded Tk 1 crore in ransom for Jamal's release, family sources said.

Despite several joint raids at different crime-prone hilly regions of Chittagong, law enforcers failed to find the business magnate after 42 days of his abduction.

Police yesterday showed Nazrul Islam, former union parishad chairman of Garjania in Ramu, arrested in Jamal Uddin abduction case. Islam, who is alleged to be an arms dealer and an associate of Kashem, one of the key suspects in the kidnapping, was arrested on Wednesday.

Meantime, the policemen, including sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors from 14 police stations of Chittagong district, were shifted to different districts yesterday.

Chittagong district police administration received the transfer orders yesterday.

Sources said all but the officer-in-charge and three constables in the crime-torn Fatikchhari were posed to other districts in the sweeping transfer.