Maolana Shafiq gained virtual control over the party unit and the administration during five years of alliance rule.

His overwhelming influence and power annoyed Pirijpur district Jamaat Amir Md. Tofazzal Hossain and created a rift in the party's local leadership, leading to factional clashes at times.

After his arrest last month, Jamaat leaders said they would not defend him for his 'misdeeds', party sources said while talking to this correspondent.

Joint forces arrested Shafiqul Islam on May 17 for his alleged corruption, toll collection, tender scam, misappropriation of government funds and sheltering criminals.

As a close aide to Delwar Hossain Saidee, Shafiq frequently visited different areas with the then lawmaker or for 'tadbir' but he was shown present at Kumarkhali Nesaria Mahmudia Senior Madrasa where he was a teacher.

Shafiq was the second son of Shahadat Hossain Howladar of Baroikhali village under Zia Nagar upazila.

While a student at local Togra Madrasa, he came in contact with Jamaat-controlled madrasa student organisation Jamiat-e-Talabae Arabia. When he became a madrasa teacher, he was made a member of Jamaat-controlled madrasa teachers' group Jamiat-e-Modarressin.

Maolana Shafiq was Assistant Mawlana at Kumarkhali Nesaria Mahmudia Senior Madrasa and superintendent of Talimul Quran Dakhil Madrasa of Saidee Foundation at Pirojpur town.

With support of Saidee, he became secretary of district Jamaat and was responsible for all development works in the district.

He also collected licenses as a contractor of LGED, district council, Upazila Parishad and PWD, sources said.

He created a syndicate with some firms and controlled all development works. This gave him the scope to collect commission by using the name of his party and the then lawmaker.

The sources claimed that he was responsible for implementation of about Tk 105.95 development works in Zia Nagar upazila and relief works involving Tk 2.24 core.

Allegations have it that he also misappropriated funds from grants given by some Middle East countries for orphans at Parerhut Dighir Par Madrasa and Orphanage and other grants for Madinatul Ulum Kalaia Madrasa, Boudubi Nurani Madrasa and some other institutions.

He was also in control of government's mass education programme in Pirojpur, which gave him the opportunity to appoint Jamaat-Shibir activists as teachers at mass education centers by taking commission from them, the sources claimed.

He also misappropriated funds of Islamic Foundation, sanctioned for madrasa-based child education centres and Quran-learning centers by giving fake lists.

Being a madrasa teacher and a member of low income family, Shafiq earned cores of taka during the 4-party alliance rule, the sources alleged.

He owns a three-storied luxurious house and a clinic in Pirojpur district town. He also purchased around 25 acres of land in the district and some buses and microbuses in last five years.

His transport business in Dhaka is supervised by his brother-in-law Mohammad Ali.

Local people also alleged that all development works in Pirojpur district during the alliance government rule were concentrated in areas of either Maolana Shafiq, Saidee or Jamaat-Shibir leaders.

When contacted, Shafiqul Islam's wife Sadia Islam said joint forces can arrest any body for any reason. She claimed that all allegations against her husband were baseless and false.