Hours after the arrest of former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A K M Nurul Huda, another former CEC, Kazi Habibul Awal, has also been detained.

Law enforcement officials arrested Awal on Sunday night, according to a senior police headquarters source.

The source confirmed that Awal was apprehended from the Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka.

DB Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam said that no DB team was involved in the arrest from that location.

Kazi Habibul Awal came under fire for his role in overseeing the controversial 2024 general elections.

His Election Commission faced widespread criticism and mockery, earning the label of the “I-am-Dummy Vote Commission” due to alleged irregularities between ruling Awami League candidates and party-backed independents.

A major controversy erupted over the reported voter turnout. At 3:00 PM on election day, the commission announced a turnout of 27.15%, only to revise it to 40% an hour later. Awal initially claimed 28% before later correcting it to 40%, which drew intense public backlash and further discredited the commission.

As a result, the opposition BNP filed legal cases against Awal, former CEC Nurul Huda, and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing them of rigging the electoral process. Hasina, described by critics as an authoritarian figure, stepped down following a mass student-led uprising. Since then, Awal had largely remained out of public view until his arrest.

Earlier on Sunday evening, former CEC Nurul Huda was arrested after being detained by local residents in Uttara and handed over to the police.

Further details on the charges and next legal steps are expected soon.