Maulana held in Bandarban had 'links' with ARNO

He was taken three days' remand on Wednesday.

Malek denied his involvement in the blasts or with any Islamist militant organisation but police sources claimed that they have found clues which suggest he could be involved with the Arakan Rohingya Nationalist Organization' (ARNO), suspected for smuggling firearms into the country.

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"Maolana Malek performed an important role on behalf of ARNO", one police source said seeking anonymity.

"We already got some important information from him", Bandarban Police Superintendent Iqbal Bahar told newsmen on Thursday.

But he declined to give details for the sake of investigation.

"Maolana Abdul Malek may be send to the joint interrogation cell (JIC) in Dhaka for quizzing. We are checking the information we got from him", the SP said.

In recent drives, Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Army and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel seized huge quantities of firearms, ammunition and explosives from deep forests in Naikkhongchari in Bandarban. They suspect that these were brought and hidden there by ARNO members.

Police sources said they have launched a manhunt for some students of Islami Shikkha Kendra in the town who fled from their dormitories on September 12. They could be involved in the August 17 blasts, police said.

Maolana Malek was engaged as a honorary teacher in that madrasha earlier.

Other sources said Maolana Malek was working at the local Islami Shikkha Kendra, Mohila Madrasa and some other organisations in the town but did not take any salary from those. They claimed that Malek used to get salary from Al-Muntada', a donor based in Saudi Arabia.