Mofazzel, who was arrested recently, had also helped many extremists flee the country to escape Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) operations. He had virtually turned his office room into a safe shelter for many extremists where they used to meet him frequently, said the reports submitted to the home ministry.

Besides, Mofazzel engaged seven extremists to collect toll for him from shrimp enclosures of Phultala, Dumuria and Paikgachha upazilas of the district. He had links with smuggling syndicates and illegal arms and drug traders, intelligence sources said.

The former Addl SP also used to pass advance information to extremists about Rab operation.

Two most wanted cadres of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) Janajuddho faction -- Shoiab and Sumon -- evaded Rab operation in Khulna every time alerted by Mofazzel, who was posted in Khulna on August 18, 2003.

Meanwhile, BDNEWS reports that a case was filed yesterday with Chittagong Sadar Court against Mofazzel for attempt to rape a housewife.

Hosne Ara Banu, wife of Md Selim of Sitakunda area, filed the case.

She alleged that Mofazzel had tried to rape her on April 29, 2003 when he was additional SP of Sitakunda circle.

The Court directed the superintendent of police of Chittagong to investigate the matter.

Our staff correspondent reports while in khulna, Mofazzel had planned attacks on journalist Dip Azad and the local press club out of vengeance and to create panic, sources said.

Local journalists incurred his displeasure because of their reports on outlaws and smugglers closely linked to him, and he used to guide them to attack journalists or threaten them to stop writing such reports.

"Mofazzel became a godfather of Janajuddho cadres who got his help to hide in Khulna city and maintained contact with him through cell phone," one source said seeking anonymity.

Intelligence agencies are also probing if he had any role in the murder of journalist Manik Saha in a bomb attack by outlaws on January 15 last year near the local press club.