Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) arrested 25 leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliated organizations in multiple drives across the capital within 24 hours up to 8 AM on Sunday, over an alleged plan to release 100,000 balloons carrying Awami League slogans.

DMP Deputy Commissioner (DC-Media) Talebur Rahman said the group had planned to release the balloons, including near state guesthouse Jamuna, between November 10 and 12.

Acting on a tip-off, DB teams from Mirpur, Ramna, Cyber, Motijheel, Wari, Uttara, Tejgaon, Lalbagh and Gulshan conducted simultaneous operations across the city and carried out the arrests.

The arrestees were identified as Rupchan Bepari, Abrar Khan Tahmid (Tahmid Ashraf), Raihan Khan (Azad), ABM Nurul Haque (Choton Chowdhury), Abul Kalam Azad (Bablu), Gias Uddin Khokon, Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, Sirajul Islam (Ahmad Ali), Jasim (Billal), Mahbub Rahman, Jahangir Alam, Engineer Abul Kalam, Mohammad Shahjalal, Delwar Hossain (Palash), Yunus Sardar, Akbar Hossain, Abu Sayeed, Shamsuddin Ahmed Selim, Raihan Uddin Rehan, Mezbah Uddin Prince, Morium Parvin, Nasir Sarkar (Golakata Nasir), Ali Hossain, Manik Khondokar and Habibur Rahman Kamal.

DB officials stated that operations to maintain law and order and prevent subversive activities will continue and legal action against the arrestees is underway.