Raozan terror Azizul arrested, back in old form after 18 years

Muhammad Azizul Haque, 55, a listed criminal who would introduce him as a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader, has been arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on charges of setting fire on a house owned by an expatriate in Chattogram’s Raozan after the fall of the Awami League government.

RAB said Azizul faces more than 12 cases on various allegations including murder and abduction charges. A team of RAB Chattgram-7 arrested him from the Kotwali police station area in the city Sunday afternoon. He was sent to prison through the court on that very day.

BNP sources said Azizul was a BNP leader from the Dabua union. He was also a Jubo Dal leader before that. He is from the North Hingola village in Dabua union. He was also known to be a top terror once. He fled to Oman after 2006. There are allegations that he tried to induce a reign of terror again upon his return to the country after the mass uprising last August.

According to the statement of the case lodged by Oman-expat Yasin Chowdhury, Azizul with 50-60 people carrying arms set his house on fire after looting. They also torched a car at the time of the attack.

The police say they have registered a complaint against Azizul Haque on charge of torching two houses of Oman-expat and businessperson Yasin Chowdhury on 30 September. He is the prime accused in the case.

Apart from that, there are warrants against him in two other cases filed under the Arms Act. Azizul was once accused in 12 criminal cases, including murder cases.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Raozan police station sub-inspector Muhammad Alamgir said, “There were already arrest warrants against him in two other arms cases before this case of setting two houses on fire. He has been sent to jail through the court after the RAB handed him over."