Sources said security personnel hemmed in Lalu's Sutrapur residence at around 11:00pm. After a brief interrogation, the team took him out at 12:30am to conduct a search on the residence of Tarique Rahman, eldest son of the immediate past prime minister Khaleda Zia. Lalu gifted Tarique the piece of land for setting up a residence for his leader, said locals and sources.

A good amount of relief materials including quilts and pipes from the prime minister's relief fund was found in the search that was going on till filing of this report at 1:00am today.

Elected from the Bogra 7 (Gabtoli) constituency, Lalu exploited well his close links with the Zia family to become the most powerful political figure in the district.

Lalu was found at the middle of Bogra wheat scandal in August, 2002. He put pressure on the food department officials at that time to purchase rotten wheat, for which the then prime minister let him off the hook by only scolding him.

Lalu is also accused of swindling off around Tk 12 crore from the Shaptapadi branch of Janata Bank. A case was filed against him in this connection.

During a countrywide drive, the crack forces also picked up at least 1,623 people and recovered two hand grenades, 10 firearms and six homemade bombs yesterday.

Meanwhile, Azad Siddiqui, younger brother of Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) President Abdul Kader Siddiqui, was placed on a four-day police remand yesterday. Army-led joint forces arrested Azad, accused in 26 criminal cases including three murder cases, at Icchapur of Kalihati upazila in Tangail on Monday.

Tangail police produced Azad before a magistrate's court with a prayer for a 10-day remand after showing him arrested in a murder case. The court, however, granted only four days' remand, our Tangail correspondent reports.

Dulal Mian Patwary, Chandpur district BNP vice-president, Ali Ahmed Biswas, chairman of Raghabdair union parishad (UP) of Magura who is also an accused 12 cases including three murder cases, Mahbub Ali Chowdhury, chairman of Char Ashtadar UP of Sherpur, Saiful Haq Khan Choudhury alias Faruk Choudhury, chairman of Mirpur municipality of Kushtia and also president of Mirpur municipality BNP, Gazi Giasuddin, general secretary Baufal upazila Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Nurul Alam Numan, former Moulvibazar Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) general secretary, and two UP members of Mymensingh Sadar Upazila were among the people arrested yesterday.

Police arrested Mahbub Ali, younger brother of former whip Jahed Ali Chowdhury, after he surrendered to the army in Nakla upazila yesterday morning. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel arrested fugitive Ali Ahmed Biswas at Mirpur, Kushtia along with another fugitive Abbas Uddin Monday afternoon.

Rab-4 sources said they recovered two hand grenades (model 36 MHE) at an under construction building in Demra in the capital where a number of criminals took those there after undercover Rab personnel reached a deal to buy the grenades from them. However, the criminals managed to escape sensing a set-up.

Chandpur district BNP Vice-President Dulal, arrested on Monday night, was produced before a court with a bail petition. The court rejected his bail prayer and sent him to jail, our Chandpur correspondent reports.

A Sylhet court yesterday sent General Secretary of Sylhet Awami League (AL) Iftekhar Hossain Shamim and two others arrested on Monday to jail with detention orders under Special Powers Act, our staff correspondent in Sylhet reports.

Police produced Shamim before the Sylhet Sadar Magistrate's Court, which rejected his bail prayer. Sylhet police claimed there had been allegations of land grabbing and harbouring of criminals against the AL leader. However, the court granted his division status in jail.

Our Moulvibazar correspondent reports: Joint forces arrested former JCD district general secretary Nurul Alam Numan and a member of district Jubo Dal committee. The forces caught the two in the act of using force to drop a tender in the LGED office yesterday noon.

Police said the joint forces arrested Kushtia's Mirpur municipality chairman Faruk Choudhury when he was holding a secret meeting with his men around 1:30pm yesterday, our correspondent in Kushtia reports.

Separate courts in Sylhet and Sunamganj also sent arrested former Kuchai UP chairman Dara Miah and Chhatak municipality chairman to jail yesterday.