A ward unit leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) was arrested in Chittagong city on Saturday night in connection with robbing a man of Tk 5 lakh four days back.
The arrestee, Nurul Alam Shipu, president of Chawkbazar ward unit of Chhatra Dal, is also brother of the ward's self-proclaimed Jubo League leader Nur Mostafa Tinu, who is locally known for leading a faction of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in Chittagong College.
The president of Jubo League's Chittagong city unit, Mohiuddin Bachchu, however, said there was no Jubo League leader in the ward by the name of Tinu. If someone abuses the name of Jubo League, police should take action against him, he told The Daily Star.
Requesting anonymity, a police official said around 10:00pm on Saturday night, Tinu went to Panchlaish Police Station along with his BCL followers to free his brother.
Denying that there was any pressure from BCL or Jubo League, Officer-in-Charge Mohiuddin Mahmud said Shipu was arrested based on information from two other arrestees who confessed to the crime. He, however, said two of the "criminal's family members" had requested him to free Shipu but he refused.
According to police, four to five snatchers robbed one Nur Uddin of Tk 5 lakh in Katalgonj Boudhha Mandir area on February 15. Based on the clues from closed-circuit TV cameras, police arrested Arif and Mamun, and following their statements detained Shipu.
Tinu could not be contacted for comment as his mobile phone was switched off.
His follower and former vice president of Chittagong College unit of BCL Abu Mohammed Arif, who accompanied Tinu to the police station, said Tinu went to see Shipu as his brother, not as a Jubo League leader.
He said they accompanied Tinu but did not try to free Shipu. He also claimed that Shipu was falsely accused for his political involvement and he did not commit the crime.