UP chairman held with arms, ammo

Law enforcers arrested a union parishad (UP) chairman and seized arms, ammunition and illegal drugs from his possession at Niyogbari village in Kazipur upazila of Sirajganj district on Friday.

The arrestee is Md Abdullah Al Mamun Ripon, 40, chairman of Shuvogachha Union Parishad, and son of BNP activist and former UP chairman Abul Talukder.

Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kazipur Police Station, said a police team, acting on a tip-off, raided Ripon's house at Niyogbari village at around 6:30pm and arrested him.

They also seized a rifle, seven sharp weapons, 15 bullets, 11 Yaba tablets and eight bottles of phensidyl syrup from his house.

"The chairman possessed the weapons for criminal activities. In primary quizzing, he could not explain the presence of arms and drugs in his house," the OC said.

Two separate cases for possessing illegal arms and drugs were filed against him with the police station on Saturday, the OC said, adding that the UP chairman was sent to jail by the court yesterday morning.