Acting on a tip-off, a team of joint-forces arrested Magura Sadar thana BNP general secretary Mihir Kanti Biswas from his brother-in-law's residence near Chhabighar Cinema Hall.

Party insiders and locals said, only seven years ago Mihir Kanti Biswas was an armed cadre of the outlawed Biplobi Communist Party (BCP) and faced at least seven criminal cases including those of toll collection and murder, according to police.

Mihir, now general secretary of Magura Sadar thana unit BNP was forced to work as a bicycle-mechanic in nhis boyhood as his poor father late Gour Pada Biswas owned no property but a thatched house in Rawtara village under Hazrapur union in Magura sadar upazila, local people said. He left studies when he was a student of Class Seven, they said.

During the 4-party Alliance rule, his economic condition improved overnight. His turned into a wealthy person in the area. He bought a house at a cost of Tk 12 lakh and land worth Tk 28 lakh in Rawtara, Dariapur and adjoining villages, according to his neighbours.

'Not only land property, Mihir now owned Tk 55 lakh in cash. His brother Mrinal is doing business utilising the amassed money', a resident of adjoining village Gouricharanpur said requesting anonymity.

'Mihir now owns over TK one crore in cash and huge property which he amassed through illegal toll collection and tender manipulation', complained a former chairman of Hazrapur Union Parishad (UP) on request of anonymity.

'Local people was astonished to see that once extreme poor, Mihir spent at least 8 lakh in the funeral of his father and on the occasion of his sister's marriage', the chairman informed.

'As a BCP cadre, he forcibly collected toll from local rich people at night. When 4-party Alliance came to power, he started collecting toll in a 'novel' way.

During clash or conflict among general people in villages of Hazrapur union, he called arbitration meeting and fined both the group and snatched a good amount of money from them in a subtle manner', a school teacher in the area alleged. In reply to a question, the teacher claimed that peace-loving people had no other option, but to follow his order.

Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) officials in Magura is also investigating the allegations of amassing money and his family's unusual rise during last five years, officials said.

'We have got some allegations against him and sent those to the higher authorities for action', an official informed.

It is widely alleged that Mihir amassed wealth through toll collection with shelter and blessings of former lawmaker of Magura-2 constituency Quazi Salemul (Salemul) Huq Kamal.