Alleged criminal and Chhatra Dal cadre Sharif Ahmed Jinnah was arrested Friday night from Muktarpara area in Sirajganj town, our correspondent reports.

Sharif, 27, is the son of local BNP leader Abdul Mannan of Diardhanghora (Sardarpara) area in the town. He is also a local correspondent of Dhaka based newspaper.

Acting on a tip-off, joint forces raided the office of local weekly Dolon Chanpa and arrested him, police said.

Police said Sharif is an accused in 18 criminal cases including some for robbery, toll collection and mugging.

They said Sharif was a 'top terror' of Sirajganj town and a cadre of the immediate past BNP lawmaker.

In Meherpur, joint forces yesterday arrested SK Sayeed, district convener of Jatiya party (Naziur) and a close aide to former BNP lawmaker from Meherpur-I constituency Masud Arun, a correspondent reports.

He was arrested from in front of BNP office in the town in the afternoon.

He was being interrogated by joint forces at their camp at Meherpur Zila Parishad rest house when the report was filed in the afternoon. He faces criminal charges, police said.

They said he was also wanted by police during the Operation Clean Heart in 2003 but had gone into hiding.

Sources said, earlier, Sayeed had threatened some local journalists in 2003, following which a general diary was filed by Meherpur Press Club President Atiqur Rahman Titu.