Staff Reporter :
Police have so far arrested 47 people in connection with arson on government vehicles and public transports during the Dhaka 18 by-polls on Thursday.
The offenders, arrested by police and detective branch officials, were shown arrested in 16 cases filed with 12 police stations in connection with the torching, said Walid Hossain, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Sunday.Most of the arrestees were found to be supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). They were held for cases filed under the penal code and for sabotage under the Special Powers Act and Explosives Substance Act.
Among the arrestees, six were arrested by Shahbagh police, nine each by Paltan police and Uttara East police, eight by Sutrapur police, seven by Bangshal police, two each by Kalabagan, Khilkhet and Motijheel police, and one each by Turag police, and Bhatara police, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Police are trying to identify the suspects by analyzing close circuit camera footage.
The drive to arrest offenders connected to the torching incidents is ongoing, said DMP officials.
Earlier on Thursday, several buses were torched in different parts of the capital as the Dhaka 18 constituency went to the by-polls.
As many as nine buses, including two vehicles used for carrying government staff, were set on fire.
The attacks followed claims by the BNP that ruling Awami League supporters had captured most of the polling booths in the constituency, and that the voting was marred by large-scale irregularities and rigging.
On Saturday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal Warned that stern action would be taken against those involved in the arson attacks.
