The Rapid Action Battalion finally arrested Hallmark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud on Sunday from the city's Mirpur area on charge of his involvement with the Sonali Bank loan scam, reports bdnews24.com.

RAB's Media and Legal Wing Director Commander M Sohail confirmed the arrest of the first high-profile official in Bangladesh's biggest bank loan scandal to date.

Mahmud was detained at 9:15pm.

An FE report adds: Earlier in an early morning drive the elite force and the police conducted an overnight raid at Tanvir's multi-storied factory at Savar on the outskirts of the capital but could not arrest him in the face of strong resistance by the factory workers.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the local police with an arrest warrant conducted the drive at about 2:30am on the Hall-Mark Group premises to arrest its MD in connection with the 11 cases filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) against him and 26 others.

The anti-corruption watchdog late last week lodged the cases with the Ramna Police Station against 20 Sonali Bank and 7 Hallmark men on charge of swindling Tk 15.68 billion from Ruposhi Bangla Branch of the state-owned commercial bank.

Operations Officer of RAB-4 unit and Manikganj district ASP Tanvir Ahmed confirmed the raid, saying that they could not arrest him because of the resistance made by Hall-Mark men during the drive that lasted for three hours.

When the team reached the factory located at Kandiboliarpur of Hemayetpur under Savar police station, it found that the road leading to it was blocked by two pick-up vans, which delayed their operation, he said.

As soon as the team was held back by the parked pickups in front of the factory, some guards on two motorbikes drove inside. 

Then they were obstructed by hundreds of people who came out of the factory and resisted the country's elite force to get in.

"We had spent at least 30 minutes to tackle the resistance. By then, Tanvir fled the scene," Mr Ahmed said, adding that they raided the offices, factories and a residence of Tanvir there but could not find him.

"Yes, he (Tanvir Mahmud) was there as we have intelligence information. But I think the guards might have informed Tanvir of the raid," he said.

Their drive to arrest Tanvir will continue, he said, adding that they found some girls and several bottles of liquor after breaking open the door of Tanvir's room.

The RAB-4 operations officer further informed that Tanvir has deployed security guards in the name of his company, Hall-Mark Patrol Team, in addition to 350 ansar personnel.

"Of course, we have the arrest warrant against Hallmark MD," Officer-in-Charge of Savar police station Asaduzzaman told the FE.

He said they made the drive acting on a request of the ACC that Tanvir was hiding there.

A six-member inquiry team led by ACC deputy director Joynal Abedin Shebly in a preliminary investigation found that the controversial business group alone took Tk 15.68 billion from Sonali Bank's Ruposhi Bangla Branch on forged documents. 

The investigation report also said the Group made the largest financial irregularities in the country's banking history in the form of inland bills purchase showing several companies which have no existence in Bangladesh.