Taslima Khan Ankhi, detained general secretary of Kushtia unit Mahila Awami League, is a high profile cadre of Gono Mukti Fauz (GMF) and has been transporting arms and ammunition for GMF for the last 6/7 years, said police.

Arrested on Monday night, she and four of her cohorts were yesterday produced before the district chief judicial magistrate's court with a seven-day remand prayer.

The court placed them on a five-day remand.

The four other arrestees are Rani, 25, and GMF cadres Abdur Razzak, 26, Shahin, 25 and Akkas Ali, 40. Police recovered one AK-47 rifle, a shotgun and 82 bullets from them Monday night.

In the last 48 hours, police interrogated all the five detainees and launched several drives for more firearms based on their confession.

A case has been filed against the five under Arms Act and the case was handed over to Detective Branch (DB). Officer-in-charge (OC) of DB Mizanur Rahman will investigate the case.

Though police could not recover any more weapons, they gleaned important information about GMF's current activities in several districts of the southwestern region, police said.

"We are expecting more information from them," SP of Kushtia Sahabuddin Khan told The Daily Star over phone.

Recently the outlawed parties in the region are using women especially for safe transportation of firearms. The parties are now involving wives or close female relatives of the cadres killed in crossfire at different times. These outfits also help the families of those killed in crossfire with money, police said.

According to police, Rani was the wife of Sohel alias Gur Sohel, a top cadre of GMF killed in "crossfire", of housing area in the town.

According to police, both Ankhi and Rani witnessed several GMF operations while delivering the weapons to the cadres, police said.

They also said Ankhi and Razzak were jointly leading the outfit in Kushtia town. Rani was with them while Akkas was leading GMF in Daulatpur, Bheramara and Mirpur upazilas.