Shillong, May 13
Interpol's Dhaka unit has
asked its Indian counterpart to arrest Salahuddin Ahmed, a former
Bangladesh minister and joint secretary general and spokesman of the
opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who was arrested here in
Meghalaya on charges of illegally entering India, police said on
Wednesday.
"We received a red alert notice from Dhaka Interpol
yesterday (Tuesday) requesting us to arrest Salahuddin Ahmed. We have
informed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi about
their request," Meghalaya Police chief Rajiv Mehta told IANS.
The
Bangladesh Interpol had sent the request to its Indian counterpart
after Ahmed's wife Hasina told journalists in Dhaka on Tuesday that she
received a phone call from her husband that he was in a hospital in
Shillong.
Meghalaya Police had on Monday morning arrested an
individual, who later identified himself as Salahuddin Ahmed, after
locals alerted police about some "suspicious movement" by a man in and
around that area.
Ahmed, however, had no document in his possession to prove his identity and citizenship.
"So
far, we have not been able to interrogate this individual as he is
undergoing treatment in Shillong Civil Hospital. We have no clue of who
this man is. Until he is discharged from the hospital, it is difficult
for us to make any comment," Mehta said.
Meanwhile, doctors
treating the BNP leader in the Shillong Civil Hospital said Ahmed was
"physically and mentally fit" but they were conducting several medical
tests to verify his health status.
"Most of the medical tests
have been conducted based on the medical complaints and past health
history of Ahmed. We are still awaiting the medical test reports,"
Shillong Civil Hospital cardiologist D.J. Goswami told IANS.
However,
Goswami said Ahmed would be discharged from hospital only after the
hospital authorities were satisfied with the test reports and that the
person was physically and mentally fit.
Ahmed, who identified
himself as a leader of the Khaleda Zia-led BNP, had claimed on Monday
that he was kidnapped by unidentified people from Uttara area in Dhaka
on the night of March 10.
The police officials who interrogated
him found that he was not speaking comprehensibly. He was referred to
the Meghalaya Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (MIMHANS),
but found to be mentally sound.
Ahmed was later admitted to the under trial prisoner cell at the Shillong Civil Hospital.
