BANGLADESH

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has interrogated at least 15 leaders of opposition BNP including one of the MPs as the elite force try to find out the party's missing organising secretary M Alias Ali.

RAB's legal and media wing director M Sohael told on Wednesday, "The disappearance of Ilias Ali is being dealt with the utmost priority."

Ilias Ali has been missing since the early hours of Apr 18 and the law enforcing agencies are yet to find a clue about his whereabouts.

After enforcing countrywide general strike for three consecutive days, BNP has given the government an ultimatum till next Saturday to 'return' Ilias.

Sohael said that RAB has already conducted raids in different places to find out the missing BNP leader.

"Besides, several people have been questioned in this regard. The list includes a BNP lawmaker too. The lawmaker was questioned for about two hours," he added.

The lawmaker RAB quizzed was once a leader of the BNP's student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

The list also includes Ilias' party colleagues who had gone to Ruposhi Bangla hotel along with Ilias just before he went missing. Sohael said that Ilias' lawyer has also been quizzed.

"Each of them was interrogated alone," Sohael added.

Detective police deputy-comissioner Mahbubur Rahman said, "Detectives have engaged their full strength to find out Ilias."

Both the officers, however, declined to divulge any information about investigation findings.