Awlad and the two personal staffs--Sarwar Hossain and Babul--were picked up minutes after they came out of Hasina's Sudha Sadan residence around 8:00pm upon their return from Tungipara of Gopalganj after a three-day visit with the party chief.

Party sources said members of different intelligence agencies halted a car carrying the three and took them to an unknown place.

Sarwar is also the president of the AL Canada unit and Babul is the brother of Jubo Mohila League President Nazma Akhter.

Intelligence men had kept the three under watch since the declaration of the state of emergency, said intelligence sources.

Meanwhile, the army detained Murad Siddiqui, younger brother of Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) President Abdul Kader Siddiqui, from Kalibari area in Tangail on Tuesday evening.

Besides, Sarishabari upazila Jubo Dal General Secretary Faezul Kabir Talukdar, brother of former state minister for power and LDP leader Anwarul Kabir Talukdar, was also arrested.

Our Tangail correspondent reports: Murad Siddiqui's bodyguard and relative Shahidul Islam Jamal, 42, was also arrested by the army. The army handed over both Murad and Jamal to Tangail sadar police yesterday morning, said police sources.

Mohammad Abdur Rashid, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tangail Sadar Police Station, told the Daily Star that they would produce Murad and Jamal before the court yesterday requesting for remand.

Murad is accused in 23 criminal cases including three for murder with Tangail Sadar Police Station. Besides, he is involved with tender terrorism in different government departments in Tangail, police sources said.

Murad Siddiqui contested the last parliament election in 2001 from Tangail 5 (Sadar-Delduar) constituency as a KSJL candidate and ended up third.

In Chittagong, the army arrested seven people and recovered three firearms along with a few other lethal weapons, reports our Chittagong University correspondent.

A single-barrel gun and two cartridges were found at Bilahachhara of Pekua in Cox's Bazar.

The troops rounded up one person, seized a single-barrel gun, 20 cartridges and five other lethal weapons from Sonua under Banshkhali upazila while they arrested another with a pipe gun from Chandraghona in Rangunia.

Our correspondent in Tangail reports, joint forces led by the army held Sarishabari upazila Jubo Dal leader Faezul Kabir Talukdar at the upazila headquarters on Tuesday.

Faezul Kabir Talukdar alias Shahin Talukdar, 40, is also the chairman of Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) in Sarishabari, sources said.

Joint forces of the army and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) 11 arrested four alleged criminals and recovered a revolver, a local LG (light gun), a pistol, 50 grams of gunpowder and a few knives in Tongi and Gazipur on Monday, according to our Gazipur correspondent.

The arrestees, Haris Mia, 25, and Sohel alias Munshi, 22, from Barobari in Gazipur, Bachchu Mia, 30, and ATM Jabed Hossain, 30, from Tongi had robbery; hijacking and rape cases filed against them, Police sources said.

The joint forces in Satkhira yesterday arrested two listed criminals including a local Jubo Dal leader, said our correspondent.

The two arrested are Badruzzaman Badru, former president of Tala upazila Jubo Dal and a listed criminal in Tala, and Duke, a listed criminal in Jessore, police sources said.

Several cases had been filed against Badru and Duke with Tala, Patkelghata and Kotwali police stations.

Our Narsingdi correspondent reports: The joint forces detained BNP Raipura upazila unit secretary and UP chairman Faizur Rahman along with six others yesterday.