She turned up at the police station at dead of night braving all risks of being a woman, as detectives detained her husband Saiful, 22, a rickshaw-puller, in Chankharpool around 9:00pm on February 3.

Shilpi does not know why the police have picked up her husband.

Saiful is one of over 3,000 people detained in the city in the last four days ahead of and during the 14-party opposition's long march, which started on February 2 and enters Dhaka today.

Shilpi is one of several thousand victims who are facing immense ordeal following the blanket arrest of their relatives, many of whom are the lone earning members of their families.

Asked on what charge Saiful was picked up, Second Officer of Ramna police Rezaul Hossain said, "I don't know anything about it. DB Sub-inspector Bashar left him here without mentioning the reason."

During a visit to the capital's four police stations from 12:15am to 3:00am yesterday, it was found that the lockups were jam-packed with detainees.

A large number of relatives were found waiting anxiously outside the police stations. Many were seen trying to release their relatives bribing the policemen.

Some alleged they had to bribe Tk 20 to Tk 50 to the sentries of the lockups just to meet their relatives.

Around 80 detainees were jostling each other in four cells of Ramna Police Station around 12:30am. Many of them somehow managed little space to lie down, while others were snoozing sitting on the floor.

Sources said special drives like the blanket arrest give the law enforcers an opportunity to earn a huge amount of speed money. Apart from picking up people, the police are releasing many on the spot on backhander, they added.

Besides, many people who are not accused in any specific cases are being implicated as suspected accused.

The mass arrest is causing huge sufferings to the families of the poor detainees as most of them are street vendors, employees of small shops, rickshaw-pullers and day labourers.

At 1:45am, 15-year-old Zakir Hossain Suman was standing near Motijheel Police Station wearing a gloomy look as police picked up his father Harunur Rashid, a wayside fruit trader, in Malibagh Railgate Bazar.

A local ward unit BNP leader came to the police station with a recommendation for his release. He said Harun's family of eight have no way of earning a living for a single day.

Asked by everyone sympathetic to Harun for his release, a police officer checked his record but found no charge against him.

However, Harun was out of luck as the letters A and L [abbreviation of the Awami League] were there jotted down beside his name on the arrestees' entry book.

"I am sorry that I can't release him. Please do not ask me why," the officer said asking not to be named.

The BNP leader just commented, "This is too much. It seems police are much more active party supporters than us."

Begum, 40, came to the police station with her brother-in-law hearing that police picked up Mohammad Selim, another brother-in-law, who is a driver.

She said Selim is among 20 others whom Ramna police on February 3 detained at Mohishpara slum where they were playing cards at the weekend.

After about a one-and-a-half-hour-long attempt, Selim's maternal uncle Abdul Malek managed to meet the detainee bribing a police constable Tk 20.

The room of the duty officer of Paltan Police Station was overcrowded around 1:10am. Among the crowd three youths were counting a wad of 500 taka notes.

As soon as The Daily Star correspondents entered the room, a policeman downed his voice and said to them," Go out, go out -- journalists have come."

Asked why they were counting the money and whether any of their relatives are arrested, the youths disappeared without saying a word.

Besides the detainees' relatives, many others were crowding the police stations as their kith and kin did not return home.

Hossain Akand, 60, of Ambagan in Moghbazar, came to Ramna Police Station looking for his son Shawkat Akand, who works at a tailoring shop. Shawkat did not return home even after 1:00am, though he usually returns by 9:00pm.

Giving a sentry Tk 30, the father checked the lockup, but did not find his son. With a face gripped by uncertainty, Hossain left for Tejgaon Police Station.