Jalil complained about chest pain soon after the court had ordered to send him to prison. He was later admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University's coronary care unit last night. Meanwhile, the joint forces arrested Bengal Group Chairman Abul Khair Litu from a hotel at Gulshan in the capital yesterday afternoon, and BNP's Standing Committee Member Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui was sued for extortion.

Jalil, Selim, Babar and Hashem had been arrested on May 28 in the third round of government crackdown on high profile graft suspects, and were produced before Dhaka courts yesterday afternoon on completion of their four-day remand. They all looked dejected at the time.

Moreover, the crack forces raided the Gulshan residence of Abdul Jail for about four hours from 4:30pm yesterday and took away some files and documents from there. The forces also raided detained former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo's Gulshan residence and his office yesterday and seized some documents from there too.

In the forwarding reports placed before two separate courts, investigation officers (IOs) of the general diaries (GDs) filed against Jalil, Selim and Hashem, said all the three suspects were involved in efforts to destabilise the country and to tarnish the interim government's image abroad. They should be confined to jail until the investigations of the allegations against them are completed, proposed the IOs adding that their detentions are necessary for refraining them from carrying out anti-state activities.

Babar, who had already divulged stunning information about his and the immediate past prime minister's two sons' unbridled corruption during questioning by the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI), was taken to a remand for four more days yesterday in connection with an arms case, while Kazi Zafrullah was also taken to a four-day remand in an extortion case.

Babar broke down in tears in the dock hearing the order for his remand.

Sub-inspector Helal Uddin of Gulshan police station filed the case against Babar yesterday under the Arms and Explosives Act for possessing illegal firearms.

The army-led joint forces recovered four firearms -- a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, a Brazil-made revolver -- two magazines, and 297 rounds of ammunition during the raid in Babar's Gulshan residence on May 28, leading to his arrest.

Police said Babar could not show any document for the foreign revolver he was possessing.

The IO of the case, Sub-inspector Kabir Ahmed, produced Babar before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Shafique Anwar seeking a seven-day remand for his former boss in the arms case.

In the forwarding report placed before the court the IO mentioned that Babar needs to be remanded again for questioning to find out information regarding whether he has more illegal firearms.

Defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking bail for Babar and cancellation of the remand prayer, saying that their client has licenses for all the recovered firearms. They also argued that since the firearms were already recovered there is no need for his remand.

After hearing the arguments, the court sent the former state minister for home to a four-day remand.

AL Presidium Member Kazi Zafrullah was produced before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abdur Rouf Khan at 12:30pm, where a hearing took place on a government prayer for a seven-day remand for the suspect to interrogate him in connection with a Tk 50 lakh extortion case.

Gazi Tank owner also an AL leader Gazi Golam Dastagir filed the case with Gulshan police station on May 19 accusing Zafrullah of extorting Tk 50 lakh from him in exchange for an AL nomination for him in the stalled general election.

In the remand prayer the IO mentioned that Zafrullah needs to be remanded to recover the extorted money.

LITU DEATINED
The joint forces yesterday picked up Abul Khair Litu, owner of Bengal Group, from a residential hotel in Gulshan in the capital.

Sources said the joint forces conducted the raid yesterday evening following information extracted from detained former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo.

There are allegations against Litu of land grabbing, smuggling of money abroad through his satellite channel distribution business, and of defaulting on repayments of loans.

CASE AGAINST TANVIR
Former chairman of Kaliakoir Atabaha union Mujibur Rahman filed a case accusing Tanvir Siddiqui, a BNP standing committee member, and 31 others in connection with extorting Tk 11 lakh from him, a correspondent in Gazipur reports.

The case was filed with Gazipur Cognisance Court-3 yesterday. Following the filing of the case Magistrate Rounak Jahan ordered the officer-in-charge of Kaliakoir police station to take necessary actions after investigating the matter.

The other accused in the case include Anwar Hossain, assistant private secretary to Tanvir Siddiqui, Helal Uddin, general secretary of Kaliakoir upazila BNP, Maksudur Rahman Helali, and labour leader Humayun Kabir.

In the case, the complainant alleged that Tanvir took Tk 11 lakh in two instalments from him in 2002.

The complainant said he had to leave the area following mounting pressure from Tanvir for the money. He said he went to the house of Tanvir on September 28, 2002 and paid him Tk 5 lakh in presence of the other accused.

He said Tanvir and his accomplices kept on mounting pressure on him for rest of the toll. They even called in a buyer for the land he had built his house on and forced him to sell the land for Tk 6 lakh. The complainant said he was given Tk 10,000 while the accused took the rest.

He said he could not file any case earlier as the accused were very powerful.

Tanvir was also accused of carrying out repression and torture on opposition parties' local leaders and activists during the immediate past four-party alliance rule.

RAIDS
Nurul Islam, a peon of Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil's flat in Gulshan, said members of the joint forces came to the flat around 4:30pm yesterday and searched the place.

They left the house around 8:15pm with some documents and files, Nurul added.

The joint forces also searched former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo's Gulshan residence and Multi Mood Transport Consultant Ltd office at Anchor Tower on Sonargaon Road for six hours. An office staff said the joint forces did not take anything from his residence but they took some documents from the office.

CASE AGAINST LOBI
The hearing on charge-framing against detained ex-BNP lawmaker Ali Asghar Lobi, accused of dodging taxes over Tk 17 crore, was deferred for two days as the defence counsel sought time for preparation, UNB reports.

The makeshift special court set up at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex, for trying the bigwig corruption suspects based on the list of the Anti-corruption Commission, re-fixed the date for June 5.

Meanwhile, the trial of former state minister for civil aviation and tourism Mir Nasir Uddin and his son barrister Mir Helal Uddin resumed yesterday after a four-day recess.

The proceedings resumed with deposition made by the prosecution witnesses and their cross-examination by the defence counsel.

CASE AGAINST MUHAMMAD GIASUDDIN
Former BNP lawmaker Muhammad Giasuddin was sued yesterday in connection with politically influencing and hampering government offices' activities, our Narayanganj correspondent reports.

Moslehuddin, chief engineer of Narayanganj Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), filed the case with Fatullah police station.

Moslehuddin in the case stated that he joined the LGRD Narayanganj office in 2003 and soon after his joining Giasuddin instructed him not to distribute any development work orders without the former lawmaker's consent.

Gias forced the office to give out work orders to people who are loyal to him, the complainant said. He said Gias received large sums of money from his loyal contractors in exchange for work orders.

The complainant also said Giasuddin instructed the office that he would inaugurate all development works in his constituency.

Bhuiyan Mahbub Hasan, officer-in-charge of Fatullah police station said they received the case and legal actions would be taken.

Giasuddin is now in jail on corruption charges.