Dhaka-Some 636 people, including BNP-Jamaat-Shibir men, have been arrested in several districts and the capital as the law enforcers launched a weeklong countrywide anti-militant combing operation on Friday.Apart from the capital, the arrests were reported from Sylhet, Tangail, Kushtia, Brahamanbaria, Rajshahi, Jhenidah, Panchagarh, Sherpur and Magura districts.
In the capital, police arrested 177 people in the clampdown on the militants launched in the wake of recent secret killings, said Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
In Sylhet division, police arrested some 171 people in four districts on the first day of the special drive.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Media) of Sylhet Shugayan Chakma said police arrested 30 from Sylhet, 41 from Moulvibazar, 48 from Habiganj, 42 from Sunamganj and 10 from Sylhet city.
Most of the arrestees were fugitive accused, the ASP added.
In Tangail, police arrested 68 people from several parts of the district as part of the weeklong combing operation.
Additional SP M Aslam Khan said most of the arrestees are accused of several cases while the rest have been arrested on apprehension that they might carry out subversive activities.
In Kushtia, police arrested 57, including five activists of Jamaat-Shibir, from different places of the district, said SP of the district Pralay Chisim.
In Brahamanbaria, police conducted several drives and arrested 31 people, including BNP and Jamaat leaders, accused in several cases, robbers and drug peddlers, from Thursday night to Friday morning, said the officer-in-charge of Special Branch of the district police.
In Rajshahi, police and members of Detective Branch (DB) conducted several joint drives and arrested 31 fugitive accused and drug addicts from the district, said Ifte Khayer Alam, Assistant Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police.
All of the arrestees were sent to jail through court, he added.
In Jhenidah, police arrested 27 people, including four Jamaat men, in several drives from Thursday night to Friday morning, said OC of Jhenidah Sadar Police Station Hasan Hafizur Rahman.
In Panchagarh, 26 people, including two Jamaat leaders, were arrested in several drives as part of the countrywide operation to curb militancy in the country, said Additional SP of the district Din Mohammad.
In Sherpur, police arrested 24 people, including drug peddlers and fugitive accused, from different upazilas of the district.
Addition SP of the district Abdul Warish said police conducted several special drives throughout the district and arrested them.
In Magura, some 24 accused of different cases were arrested by police from various parts of four upazilas of the district in the last 24 hours, said assistant police super Sudarshan Kumar Roy.
Of the arrestees, district Jamaat ameer M Alamgir Hossain Biswas is accused in six violence cases.
In the wake of recent secret killings, the police on Thursday decided to launch a weeklong countrywide anti-militant combing operation from Friday.
