Dhaka [Bangladesh], March 30 (ANI): Dismissed Lieutenant Colonel Md. Afzal Naser (61) has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh police from Mirpur in the capital, authorities said on Monday. He was detained late at night on Sunday.

DB Joint Commissioner Mohammad Nasirul Islam confirmed the arrest of Afzal Naser.

A DB source said that Naser was arrested based on information obtained during the interrogation of former army officer Lieutenant General (Retd.) Masud Uddin Chowdhury--known as one of the key figures behind the 2007-08 Bangladeshi political crisis--and former Director General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Lieutenant General (Retd.) Sheikh Mamun Khaled.

Masud Uddin Chowdhury was arrested from his residence in Dhaka on Monday night. He was later taken on a five-day remand through a court order on Tuesday in connection with a case filed at Paltan Police Station. After the completion of that remand, DB sought a fresh seven-day remand, and the court granted a six-day remand.

Subsequently, former DGFI Director General Sheikh Mamun Khaled was arrested by DB on Wednesday. In a murder case filed at Mirpur Police Station, the court granted a five-day remand for him. He is also currently being interrogated in DB custody.

Afzal Naser's home is in the Mojirkhil area of Senbagh Upazila in Noakhali. He joined the army on July 4, 1984. From March 2006 to March 2008, he served in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).

This comes shortly after Retired Lieutenant General Masududdin Chowdhury, who emerged as an important figure in the military-controlled government of 2007-2008, was arrested by the police in a late-night operation after being detained by detectives earlier in March.

In 2007-2008, when the military-controlled government took power, Masududdin Chowdhury was the GOC of the most important 9th Infantry Division of the Bangladesh Army. After the formation of this military-controlled government, he held a significant role in a committee that, in the name of anti-corruption, detained various major businessmen. At that time, he held a substantial amount of power.

As per BDNews 24, Masud had served in the Rakkhi Bahini when the force was formed in 1975--which was later absorbed into the army.

Masududdin Chowdhury was later appointed as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Australia, and after returning from there, he joined the Jatiya Party of former military ruler General Ershad and was elected as a member of parliament from the Jatiya Party. (ANI)