Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained a Union Parishad (UP) Chairman with 229 sacks of relief rice at Komorpur village under Bera upazila of Pabna in the early hours on Tuesday.
The detainee was identified as Korban Ali Sardar, 60, resident of the village and the Chairman of Dhalarchar UP in the upazila. He is also the president of the union unit Awami League.
Tipped-off, a team of RAB raided the area and arrested the UP Chairman while he was stocking the rice sacks at his godown instead of distributing these, said Aminul Kabir Tarafdar, company commander of RAB-12. Later, they recovered the 229 sacks of relief rice. A case was filed with Aminpur Police Station in this connection.
Korban was produced before the district court and was sent to the jail, said Aminpur Police Station officer-in-charge Mainuddin. Following the arrest over relief scam, district AL on instructions of the central has expelled Korban from the party for life.
AL also relieved Pabna district AL vice-president and Bera upazil AL president Abdul Baten of his posts as he demanded immediate release of Korban. Separate statements were issued by the local AL on Tuesday on the matter. Baten, who is the mayor of Bera municipality, faced the party action as he lobbied for the release of Korban after RAB arrested the latter on Monday night.