They also arrested Kotchandpur upazila BNP General Secretary Faruk Hossain during the anti-crime crackdown.

Police arrested 1,450 people including 22 convicted, 658 wanted criminals and 17 accused in Arms and Explosives Act in 24 hours ending at 6:00am yesterday, said a press release.

In Dhaka, Rab personnel recovered 37 CI sheets from the house of one Shafiuddin near BG Press staff quarters mosque in Tejgaon yesterday morning.

During interrogation, he said he bought the sheets from commissioner of ward No 37 Ruhul Amin Bhuyian alias Jahangir, who is also the vice-president of Tejgaon thana BNP.

Acting on his information, Rab men raided the ward commissioner's office at Begunbari around noon and found CI sheets and blankets of government relief fund.

Sixty-three blankets were found in gunny sacks while 565 CI sheets were piled up inside the office. Ten kilogram of rotten rice was also found there.

The Rab men picked up office assistant Nazir Ahmed for interrogation.

In Narayanganj, the joint forces yesterday recovered 37 CI sheets from Dharmaganj of Fatullah in the district and arrested day labourer Din Islam.

The day labourer told the law enforcers that local BNP leader and union parishad member Laku Mia, a close aide to now arrested former MP of Narayanganj Giasuddin, kept the CI sheets under his possession on February 26 to save himself.

In Satkhira, police recovered 47 CI sheets from BNP-backed UP member Abu Taher's house at Nijdevpur village in Kaliganj upazila.

Locals said Taher received the sheets from former Bangladesh Jatiya Party lawmaker Kazi Alauddin and covered his shop with those.

In Jhenidah, detectives arrested Faruk Hossain, general secretary of Kotchandpur upazila BNP and chairman of Kushna UP, from his house in Kotchandpur town yesterday morning.

An associate of former lawmaker Master Shahidul Islam, Faruk was arrested on charges of extortion, tender manipulation and sheltering extremists.

In Mymensingh, joint forces seized 69 CI sheets from the house of Sulekha Begum, president of Islampur upazila Mohila Dal, also a teacher of JJK Pilot High School in Islampur upazila, at Golkibari in the town.

Sulekha brought the sheets from former BNP MP Sultan Mohammad Babu for distribution among poor people.

In Barisal, joint forces on Thursday demolished the pleasure resort of BNP leader AKM Shahidullah alias Letku Shahid, who is also commissioner of ward No 12 of Barisal City Corporation.

During the previous BNP-led coalition government's rule, Shahidullah, who allegedly indulged in crimes and corruption, illegally occupied public land on the bank of Kirtonkhola River on Bandh Road of the city, which was a part of the mass killing ground during the Liberation War, and built the resort on 2.69 acres of land worth around Tk 2.5 crore.

Locals felt aggrieved as he arranged a party there on December 16 night.

In Munshiganj, the joint forces yesterday demolished about 200 illegally built shops, houses and other business enterprises in areas stretching from Maliranka to Bhogdia and Boltali to Nawpara in Lauhajang upazila.