Police arrested Sadrul, 50, a foreman of state-run TSP fertiliser factory in Chittagong, from his office on the bank of the river Karnaphuli at around 11:00pm on Tuesday following information given by Abdus Sattar Mollah, a guard of Ahle Hadith Jame Masjid and Darul Hadith Salachhia Madrasa in the city.

Sattar, arrested by Directorate General of Forces Intelligent (DGFI) earlier on Tuesday, used to supply 70 copies of "Paharika", an Ahab publication, to Sadrul to maintain a strong network among the subscribers, police said.

They have arrested Sadrul to ascertain whether he provided raw materials for the bombs used on August 17 countrywide attacks from the TSP factory, police added.

Following his statement, police also arrested Jahangir Alam, 25, of Naldanga of Natore, Arshadul Alam, 50, of Kalagachhia of Homna, Comilla, and madrasa guard Abdus Sattar Mollah, 34, of Kalatali of Rupganj, Narayanganj, from Chittagong, and Ahmed, 30, of Hajipur of Satkhira, from Banglabazar in Dhaka.

Arshadul was in charge of carrying out the bomb attacks in Comilla, police said.

Investigators continued interrogating 17 suspects at the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka and police are carrying out operations to arrest suspects on the basis of information given by the arrestees at the JIC and other places.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar yesterday told the BBC Bangla Service that "remarkable progress" has been achieved in the last two weeks in the investigation of August 17 bomb blasts.

Police also arrested at least three people yesterday who were directly involved in the August 17 bomb attacks, sources said.

Our Chittagong correspondent reports Sadrul Alam, Jahangir and Arshadul were placed on a seven-day remand each for interrogation.

A five-member team of police and intelligence agencies started interrogating the three at the Detective Branch (DB) office of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).

The law enforcers on Tuesday night also nabbed Azizul Haque Farazi, 46, of Gilabari of Islampur, Jamalpur, from Ambagan Flora Pass Road on suspicion and were interrogating him.

Our staff correspondent from Khulna informs police arrested Abdur Rashid, 35, a regional leader of the bomb squad of Khulna division unit of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Khalishpur yesterday.

Rashid had been imparting training to JMB activists for the last one year, a DB official interrogating the suspect said.

Earlier on Tuesday, police arrested second-in-command of JMB Khulna division Farhad Ahmed Bulbul from Nagarkanda in Faridpur.

A former student of Government BL College, Farhad told police that he will not disclose anything about JMB, even if he were killed. "We have our cadres in every nook and corner of Khulna to take revenge against police excess," a DB official quoted Farhad as saying.

Our Tangail correspondent reports police yesterday arrested one Saiful Islam, 20, from his house at Sakrai Char village of Basail upazila in the district. He has link to JMB, police said.

Meanwhile, Rahmatullah alias Delwar, arrested on Saturday from Baropakhia Qwami Madrasa in Delduar in the district, admitted his link to the August 17 incident.

UNB adds: Joypurhat police arrested a JMB leader named Dulal Hossain, 35, from Hichmi village in Sadar upazila on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, a powerful bomb and some bomb-making materials were recovered from near Darul Islam Academy in the town yesterday.

BSS adds: Police yesterday confiscated movable property of JMB leader Shaikh Abdur Rahman from his two residences at Charshi Khalipha Para and Mia Para under Sadar upazila in Jamalpur.

Following two cases filed against Rahman with Satkhira police on August 18, a first class magistrate issued the confiscation and warrant of arrest orders.