Imprisoned suspended Gazipur mayor Mannan shown arrested in new case

Suspended Gazipur City Corporation mayor MA Mannan has been shown arrested in another case, blocking his chances of getting out of jail after having secured bail in several other violence-related cases, officials say.

A Gazipur court on Tuesday issued a custody warrant after Joydebpur police pleaded for his arrest in a case filed under the Explosives Act.

Court police’s Inspector Md Rabiul Islam said the case was filed at Joydebpur Police Station on Dec 13, 2013.

He said the case accused 25 people over a bomb attack on a human hauler on police duty at Gazipur’s Teknagar Parha on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway on Dec 12 last year amid 18-Party alliance-led agitations.

Despite securing bail in other cases against him, Mannan would not be released from prison as he was yet to get bail in this case, Islam said.

The investigating officer Sub-Inspector Syed Abul Hasem had pleaded for his arrest after he, in his probe report, claimed there was reliable information of Mannan’s direct involvement in the bomb attack.

Joydebpur police OC Rezayl Hasan Reza said Mannan was not named in the case, but due to his involvement in the incident led them to plead for his arrest.

Mannan’s lawyer Manjur Morshed Prince said the adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was accused in eight cases filed with Joydebpur, Sreepur and Kaliakoir police stations until now.

“He secured bail from the High Court in all those cases on Tuesday. But he has become a victim of a conspiracy when police implicated him in a new case,” he said.

Mannan was arrested from his Baridhara residence in Dhaka on Feb 11 in a case lodged over an arson attack that took place in Gazipur on Feb 4 this year.

Chargesheets in two cases have already been filed against Mannan, who is now in jail.

Since his arrest, panel mayor Asadur Rahman Kiron has been running the city corporation affairs on his behalf.