The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in West Bengal has arrested Molla Masud, a most wanted criminal in Bangladesh.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in a press release on Sunday evening said Interpol’s New Delhi office has confirmed the arrest to the DMP.

The police said Masud is accused in several cases filed with Ramna Police Station in the capital.

The procedure to bring him back from India is underway, the press release added.

UNB adds: Although the top terror was arrested from Barrackpore under the North 24 Parganas district on February 8 last, Interpol from New Delhi confirmed it to the National Central Bureau (NCB) of Police Headquarters in Dhaka on Sunday.

The Paschimbanga CID filed a case against Mollah Masud with Barrackpore Police Station on February 8, said a senior police officer at the NCB on Sunday evening.

Steps were being taken to bring back the most wanted terror, Mollah Masud, from India, the NCB officer said wishing anonymity.

On December 27, 2001, the then BNP-led four-party alliance government announced a list of 23 most wanted criminals, including Mollah Masud, and also declared bounties for information leading to their arrest.

Other listed top terrors included Kala Jahangir, Prokash Kumar Biswas, Subrata Bain, Abdul Hannan alias Pichchi Hannan, Liakat Hossain Liakat, his brother Kamrul Hasan Hannan, Amin Rasul Sagar alias Tokai Sagar, Khandakar Titon, Freedom Sohel, Khandakar Tanvirul Islam Joy, Haris Ahmed (Haris), Khorshed Alam (Rasu), Imam Hossain, Jabbar Munna, Kamal Pasha, Moshiur Rahman Kochi, Pichchi Helal, Mohammad Alauddin, Aga Shamim, Arman Khan and Zafar Ahmed Manik.

Of them, Pichchi Hannan was killed in 'crossfire' with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members in 2004 while Kamal Pasha, Rasu, Titon, Freedom Sohel, Killer Abbas, Liakat, Pichchi Helal, Kochi and Arman are now behind the bars.

Nine of the most wanted criminals are yet to be arrested. Six of them are believed to be hiding in India while Sagar is said to live in Canada, Tanvirul Islam Joy in Malaysia and Zisan in Dubai.

RI