Police arrest former UP chairman’s son over threat to NCP leader in Noakhali

Police say he was arrested as part of an ongoing drive under Operation Devil Hunt

Police have arrested a man on charges of threatening to kill Abdul Hannan Masud, a senior joint chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a potential candidate for the Noakhali-6 constituency.

The arrestee, Israt Raihan Ome, is the son of former chairman of Charishwar Union Parishad Abdul Halim Azad, police said.

He was arrested around 12am on Saturday in Hatiya Upazila's Charishwar Union, according to Md Saiful Alam, chief (OC) of Hatiya Police Station.

Earlier, on the night of Dec 18, Masud’s uncle Shamshal Tibriz, chief coordinator of the Hatiya Upazila unit of the NCP, filed a general diary (GD) with the police station.

According to the GD, a Facebook account named “Rupak Nandi” publicly threatened to kill Masud on the evening of Dec 18.

On the same afternoon, another Facebook account, “Israt Raihan Ome”, sent messages via Messenger to an NCP activist, threatening to kill Masud and his associates.

The GD names seven people -- Rupak Nandi, 25, former Charishwar Union council chairman Abdul Halim Azad, 46, Israt Raihan Ome, 27, Prem Nal, 25, Nur Hossain Rahim, 26, Babulal, 32, and Omar Farooq, 32.

OC Saiful said Ome has been named in the GD for allegedly issuing death threats against the NCP leader.

He said Ome was arrested as part of an ongoing drive under Operation Devil Hunt and will be produced before a court.