Former State Minister for Information, Professor Mohammad A Arafat, was detained by law enforcement agencies in Gulshan area of the capital on Tuesday (August 27), according to sources.
Mohammad A Arafat, who won the Dhaka-17 seat in the 12th national election as an Awami League candidate, was later sworn in as a state minister in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet.
After Sheikh Hasina left the country on August 5, Arafat had not been seen in public, fueling widespread speculation.
There were rumours that Arafat had been hiding in the French Embassy in Dhaka, a claim that was subsequently denied by the embassy.
The French Embassy issued a statement refuting the allegations, calling them completely baseless and emphasising that the former state minister was not in their premises.
Following the fall of the Awami League-led government, multiple murder cases were filed against Arafat. The bank accounts of Arafat, his wife, and their business entities were frozen, further complicating his legal standing.
With the situation unfolding, more details are expected to emerge regarding the charges against him and the legal proceedings that will follow.
