A 35-year-old Bangladeshi man, believed to be a key operative of extremist outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami, was arrested in Baguiati early on Sunday.

CID officials said Mufti Ibrahim, whose name figured on the list of 95 most wanted people Dhaka had handed over to Delhi last year, had masterminded a failed attempt to attack Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000.

Ibrahim was picked up from an apartment in Ashwini Nagar in Baguiati. “His uncle Mufti Hannan is an commander of Huji,” said a CID official.

A probe revealed that Ibrahim, who had been staying in the apartment for over six years, identified himself as Manik Mondal to the people of the neighbourhood where he ran an umbrella shop.

“Ibrahim was arrested in connection with the plot to assasinate Sheikh Hasina and convicted,” said the official. “He fled Bangladesh in early 2000 and sneaked into West Bengal. We have information that he had travelled to Bangladesh on fake passports four times since.”

He has been charged under the Foreigner’s Act as he had no passport or other valid documents to stay in India.

“We have requested the Bangladesh high commission to send us details about Ibrahim,” the official said.

The sleuths suspect he had undergone a plastic surgery to avoid being caught. “But we are yet to verify it. We are interrogating him to find out more details about his gang members hiding in the city,” the official added.

The sleuths, however, said Ibrahim was not involved in any criminal or anti-national activities in the state. Ibrahim was picked up by a special CID team that has been set up to track down Bangladeshi militants hiding in the state.