Former army officer Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a key figure during the 1/11 political transition, has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

He was detained late Monday night from his residence in Baridhara DOHS in the capital. The information was confirmed Tuesday morning by DB chief Shafiqul Islam, who said Chowdhury faces five cases and will be shown arrested in connection with those.

Authorities did not immediately disclose details of the মামলাগুলো.

Chowdhury served as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army’s 9th Division in 2007 and played a significant role during the 1/11 changeover. He later coordinated the National Coordination Committee on Combating Serious Crimes, which led anti-corruption drives at the time, and was promoted to lieutenant general.

In 2008, he was appointed Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Australia, with his tenure extended multiple times by the Awami League government. After retirement, he became involved in various businesses in Dhaka, including restaurants.

He was also elected twice as a Member of Parliament from Feni-3 (Sonagazi-Daganbhuiyan) constituency in 2018 and 2024 under the Jatiya Party banner, after initially seeking nomination from the Awami League in 2018.