Bangladeshi Former Member of Parliament (MP) of Manikganj-2 and popular folk singer Momtaz Begum has been arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). She was taken into custody around 11:45 PM on Monday, May 12, from a house behind Star Kabab in Dhanmondi, where she had been in hiding.
DMP Deputy Commissioner of Media and Public Relations, Muhammad Talebur Rahman, confirmed the arrest.
Momtaz Begum faces multiple cases, including one related to murder.
In the 12th National Parliamentary Election, she was nominated by the Awami League to contest from the Manikganj-2 constituency (Singair-Harirampur) for the third consecutive term. However, she lost the election to Dewan Zahid Ahmed Tulu, an independent candidate from her own party. Despite her defeat, she continued serving as the president of the Singair Upazila unit of the Awami League.
Since her election loss, Momtaz had rarely visited her constituency and remained mostly inactive in local politics. She went into hiding on August 5, following the fall of the Awami League government in the face of student and public protests.
Momtaz Begum first entered Parliament in 2009 through a reserved seat for women. She was later elected MP in the general elections of 2014 and 2018.
