Law enforcers arrested an activist of Bangladesh Nationalist Party on various charges, including extortion and land grabbing, at Singra in Natore on Sunday night.
The arrested is Kuddus Akand, former president of Singra upazila Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Matsyajeebee Dal.
According to the police, after the fall of Awami League-led government amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5 in the past year, Kuddus opened a BNP party office at the ground floor of his house at Bamihal Bazar area, and he had been engaged in extortion, land grabbing and pond occupation in the area.
Rafiqul Islam, inspector of Singra police station, said that a joint force conducted a drive at Kuddus鈥� house on Sunday midnight and detained him.
He also said that the joint force also recovered locally made weapons, including spears and lances by searching the office. 鈥楳ultiple criminal cases are already pending against Kuddus with the Singra police station.鈥�
Daudar Mahmud, joint convener of the Natore district BNP, said that Kuddus Akand was a BNP activist, but he had been under the influence of some local cadres and BNP leaders who did not want the good of the party.
He, however, did not mention the name of the BNP leaders who were sheltering Kuddus.
鈥楽etting up a personal party office to harass and exploit people using the party鈥檚 name will not be tolerated under any circumstances,鈥� Daudar added.
