DHAKA, May 14: The government arrested BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser ASM Hannan Shah, and his elder son Shah Rezaul Hannan on Monday. Shah was also remanded in police custody for five days for interrogation in connection with a case of extortion filed with the Kapasia police. The case was filed by a local leader of the Awami League.

The family members said that a team of joint forces entered the house of Hannan Shah at about 2:00pm and asked him to go with them. Hannan’s younger son, Reazul Hannan, said the team came and took away his father at about 2:40pm.

Hannan Shah was taken to the cantonment police station.

He has recently been vocal for Khaleda Zia, particularly over the reported government plan to force Khaleda into exile — a report that the government has been denying.

Three cases in connection with keeping firearms, extortion and gas bill default have been filed against Hannan Shah with the Kapasia police within a week. His elder son was implicated in two of the cases.

The joint forces personnel earlier raided the house of Hannan for about an hour.

Hannan and Rezaul were taken to Gazipur, his home district, and the police produced them in the court of a district magistrate in the evening.

The police sought that Hannan should be remanded in custody for seven days.

Ruhul Amin, a lecturer of the Kapasia Degree College and also general secretary of the Kapasia Awami League, filed the case on Sunday regarding extortion of Tk 1 lakh from him on March 29, 2004 promising him reinstatement of his job in the college.

The complainant also claimed that Hannan Shah, his son Rezaul and others attempted on his life for several times after the general elections in October 2001 and barred him from going to college for which the authorities suspended him in 2003.