This is the first case against any of those ex-BNP ministers and lawmakers widely alleged to have backed the rise of Islamic militancy in the northern districts.

Fazlur Rahman, who was abducted by Bangla Bhai and his gang and left maimed three years ago, filed the case with Bagmara Police Station in Rajshahi.

Besides Huq, the main accused, four other BNP leaders including Rajshahi district BNP General Secretary Shis Mohammad and 23 JMB operatives are among the accused.

Bagmara police arrested five of the accused shortly after the case had been filed while four others are already detained in different cases.

Those who had been named by Bangla Bhai during interrogation have been implicated in the case for masterminding militant operations in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Natore in 2004.

Bangla Bhai and his men kidnapped 43-year-old Fazlur, a farmer, from Hasanpur village in Bagmara, on April 20, 2004. They took him to the JMB camp set up at the house of Liberation War collaborator Ramzan Kaya at Hamirkutsa.

In the case report, Fazlur said he was subjected to gruesome tortures for a ransom of Tk 2 lakh. He alleged that the accused worked in unison to plan and execute his kidnap. They did it with an "ulterior political motive".

He said before the abduction incident barrister Aminul and Shis Mohammad met the JMB leaders like they did on many occasions to scheme vigilante operations.

Officer-in-Charge of Bagmara Police Station Mirza Golam Sarwar declined to disclose names of the other accused in the interest of a fair investigation.

"Our hunt is on for the accused still at large," he said.

Those arrested Friday were identified as Akram Hossain, 32, Amjad Hossain, 35, Afzal Hossain, 47, of Hasanpur, Nazrul Islam, 38, of Goalpara in Bagmara of Rajshahi, and Mizanur Rahman, 40, of Kalupara of Manda upazila in Naogaon. A court sent them to jail yesterday afternoon.

The four already behind bars are Mustafizur Rahman alias Killer Mustak, Lutfor Rahman, Abdus Sattar, and Ramzan Kaya's son Korban Ali.