Meanwhile, detained former BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed was placed on a five-day remand in connection with three cases filed against him recently for land grabbing, extortion, and illegal possession of foreign currencies and arms.

The army-led joint forces yesterday for the first time since the anti-corruption drive had begun arrested a Bangladesh Civil Service cadre. They arrested Habiganj's Madhabpur Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) M Shahadat Hossain on charges of corruption and bribery.

The crack forces also detained Central Committee Secretary of Parbatiya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) Satyabir Dewan with a pistol in his possession and four other PCJSS leaders in Rangamati early yesterday.

Touhidul Islam, Bheramara municipality chairman and also a brother of former BNP lawmaker from Kushtia Shahidul Islam, surrendered to the joint forces in Kushtia yesterday while Tangail Municipality Chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron had surrendered to the army on Saturday night. Besides, the crack forces arrested two union parishad (UP) chairmen in Sirajganj and Bagherhat yesterday.

Apart from these arrests the joint forces of army, police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 1,616 people across the country and seized 11 firearms, five homemade bombs and 110 bullets in the 24 hours preceding 6:00am yesterday.

On Friday night, former UP member and also a rice trader Reza Miah Chowdhury filed a case with Rangunia police station accusing nine people including former lawmaker Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, a high ranking BNP leader and parliamentary affairs adviser to the immediate past prime minister.

NATORE
Our Natore correspondent reported that acting on secret information a police team raided the house of former deputy minister for land Ruhul Quddus Talukder at Ramshakazipur village under Naldanga upazila in the district and seized 44 pieces of CI sheets of government relief fund, which had been used in the veranda of his drawing room, the shallow water pump room and the employees quarter. The law enforcers could not find the former deputy minister there.

PABNA
Our Pabna correspondent reported that the joint forces recovered CI sheets of government relief fund from the educational institution established by former BNP lawmaker from Shujanagar upazilla in Pabna, Selim Reza Habib, yesterday afternoon.

The forces raided Selim Reza Habib Degree College at Malfia village under Shujanagar upazilla and recovered 342 CI sheets from there.

The law enforcers also raided Selim's residence but could not find him there. The forces arrested a college peon for interrogation.

DHAKA
Our Staff correspondent reported that police produced Salahuddin Ahmed, former lawmaker from Dhaka-4 constituency, before two metropolitan magistrate's courts for hearings of three petitions filed earlier, seeking 21 days of remand of the detained BNP leader.

After hearings, Magistrate Mohammad Shamsul Alam granted two days of remand in each of two cases filed in connection with illegally possession of foreign currencies and arms, while Magistrate MA Salam granted a one-day remand in connection with land grabbing and extortion case.

Earlier, he had been shown arrested in those cases and the law enforcers had sought seven days of remand in each of the three cases. The courts had directed the authorities of Dhaka Central Jail, where he had been detained since his surrender to a court on February 12, to produce him before the courts yesterday.

The former lawmaker was taken to the court in a prison van from the jail under tight security.

Besides, Salahuddin was shown arrested in four other cases three for extortion and one for assault.

The defence lawyers submitted three separate bail petitions along with a petition for scrapping the remand prayers.

The security forces on February 4 seized weapons and foreign currencies along with nine diplomatic passports, eight Bangladeshi passports, 23 mobile phone sets, videocassettes, compact discs, and a shotgun licence during a raid in Salahuddin's house at Kadamtola in Shyampur in a bid to arrest him.

HABIGANJ
The joint forces yesterday arrested Madhabpur Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) M Shahadat Hossain on charges of corruption and bribery, reports UNB.

A team of the joint forces went to the office of Shahadat Hossain at 11:00am and took him into custody.

A source in the joint forces said allegations of taking bribes were brought against Shahadat during a recent eviction drive in Madhabpur upazila. "The allegation was proved in an investigation."

Allegations have it that Shahadat, in the last month and a half, transferred about Tk 9.5 lakh to his account in Maijdee Court branch of Krishi Bank in Noakhali from its Madhabpur branch.

The source also said the government official did not cooperate with the joint forces during the eviction drive and took money from encroachers.

"He did not evict those who had given bribes, rather identified for demolition the structures of those who had refused to bribe him," the source said.

Land offices, especially the AC (Land) Offices, are identified as among the most corrupt outfits of the government administration.

RANGAMATI
Joint forces arrested PCJSS central committee Secretary Satyabir Dewan with a pistol and some ammunition raiding his Bolpeya Adam residence in the town early yesterday, our Rangamati correspondent reports.

Family members of Satyabir Dewan, however, denied keeping any arms at their house.

Satyabir Dewan was arrested in charge of killing Kina Mohan Chakma, who worked as a leader of Somo Odhiker Andolon, a platform of Bangalee settlers in CHT, intelligence sources said.

The crack forces also arrested four other PCJSS leaders from different villages of Jurachhari upazila the same night. The arrestees are PCJSS central committee Member Plaban Chakma, Jurachhari upazila PCJSS President Ranjit Chakma and Secretary Maya Chan Chakma and PCJSS activist Ujjal Chakma, PCJSS sources said.

The joint forces handed them over to Jurachhari police yesterday evening, sources said.

However, Satyabir Dewan remained in the custody of joint forces as of 7:30pm yesterday.

KUSHTIA
General Secretary of Bheramara unit BNP and Chairman of Bheramara municipality Touhidul Islam surrendered to the joint forces in the town yesterday, our Kushtia correspondent reports.

Touhidul, who is also a brother of Kushtia district BNP President former BNP lawmaker Shahidul Islam, had been on the run.

Joint forces sources said they were on a hunt for former lawmaker Shahidul and Touhidul, against whom five cases were recently filed.

Touhidul, who used to lead the gang of Shahidul's men to conduct misdeeds, is also accused in a number of earlier filed cases including a few for graft and murder.

TANGAIL
Tangail municipality Chairman Jamilur Rahman Miron surrendered to army men on Saturday night, reports our Tangail correspondent.

Later the joint forces searched Miron's residence at Thanapara in the town and seized his bank cheque book, insurance papers and some other documents.

Tangail district joint convener of Krishak Sramik Janata League Miron is accused in eight criminal cases including one for murder.

MEHERPUR
The army-led joint forces recovered 66 pieces of CI sheets of government relief from the houses of two union BNP leaders and a thana unit JCD leader at Chitla village in Gangni upazila of the district yesterday noon, reports our Meherpur correspondent.

Our Sirajganj correspondent adds: The joint forces yesterday arrested a local union parishad chairman and BNP leader along with some relief goods from his house at Karnosuti village in Kamarkhanda upazila of Sirajganj district.

The joint forces recovered 10 bundles of CI sheets of government relief from Patharghata upazila BNP office in Barguna during a raid yesterday.

UNB adds: Ten bundles of CI sheets given by the government for distribution as relief to the distressed people were recovered from the house of Kakilapura UP Chairman of Sreebordi upazila and union BNP President Alifuddin, UNB adds.

Our Nilphamari correspondent reported that the joint forces last night recovered 220 pieces of CI sheets of government relief fund from a college at Syedpur in Nilphamari which had been established by former BNP lawmaker from Nilphamari-4 constituency Amzad Hossain Sarker.

Mokbul Hossain Business Management College located adjacent to Amzad's house is named after the former lawmaker's father, which was established in 2005 without approval of the authorities concerned, sources said.

A college teacher, however, claimed that the upazila administration allocated the CI sheets for the college. But he failed to show necessary documents regarding his claim.

Sensing the drive of the joint forces, Amzad, who had declared himself the principal of the college without having any teaching experience, fled.

UNB reported that law enforcers recovered 182 CI sheets of government relief fund from the residence of former Jamaat lawmaker Mizanur Rahman yesterday afternoon. The former lawmaker however could not be arrested.

Our staff correspondent reported that the joint forces yesterday picked up detained former lawmaker Mosaddak Ali Falu's private secretary Masud Khan from BCIC Bhaban at Karwan Bazar in the capital and seized Falu's business documents and bank documents from him, before releasing him in the evening after interrogation.

Sources said the joint forces went to Falu's residence in the city and asked his wife to show his bank statements and business documents, but she told them that those were kept with Masud Khan.

Later the security personnel asked Falu's wife to ask Masud to come to Falu's BCIC Bhaban office with the documents over the mobile phone. As he came there the joint forces picked him up and seized the documents.

Our correspondent reported from Chittagong that Hathazari police arrested an army corporal named Amir Hossain from his residence in the city's Bayezid area yesterday allegedly on charge of abducting a carpenter. He was later handed over to the Bangladesh Army.

UNB reported from Bogra that police removed two unauthorised rooftop wireless towers from the houses of former BNP lawmaker Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu in the town and in Gabtali upazila yesterday.

They also removed antennas of the 80-foot wireless towers set up illegally in 1994 with the technical assistance of Bangladesh Telecom Limited.

Earlier on February 13, the joint forces had arrested Lalu from Sutrapur in the town. A huge amount of government relief materials and 11 wireless sets was recovered from the house of Lalu after his arrest.

Naogaon pourasava chairman and BNP leader Abul Kashem Akand and his three associates were arrested with an illegal revolver and alcohol in their possession last night from Shahpur area in the district, UNB added.