The president of Chattogram's Baizid Bostami thana Sramik League allegedly made a "verbal contract" with a human-hauler driver, promising him Tk 4 lakh if he could torch five buses inside the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation depot in Hathazari upazila's Baluchara area.

Driver Sohel Rana  said this in a confessional statement made to Chattogram Judicial Magistrate Awlad Mohammad Junaid on Tuesday.

The case was filed with Hathazari Police Station in connection with an arson case.

Police arrested Didarul Alam Didar, the Sramik League president, and Sohel Rana after BRTC Chattogram's manager Zulfikar filed the case on Sunday accusing an unidentified person of torching two BRTC buses on Saturday night.

After scrutinising the CCTV footage of the area, police first held Sohel Rana on Monday. After his confessionduring primary interrogation, police arrested Didar the same day. The duo was presented before the court on Tuesday evening.

Speaking to The Daily Star on Tuesday, Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Hathazari Model Police Station, said, "Didar, the Sramik League president in Baizid Bostami thana, took the opportunity during the countrywide unrest triggered by the quota reform movement, and ordered his aide Sohel to torch the buses inside the depot."

In his confessional statement, Sohel said Didar offered to pay him Tk 4 lakh if he torched five buses and had given him an advance payment of Tk 500.

Sohel added that he was able to set two buses on fire as the security guards sensed his presence before he could torch the rest.

Hathazari police Sub-Inspector Rahmat Ullah, also the investigating officer of the case, told The Daily Star, "Sohel admitted to his crime before the magistrate saying Didar paid him Tk 500 advance money to torch the vehicles … We will place a remand prayer before the court for Didar in this regard today."

Police and BRTC sources said Didar used to rent BRTC buses on contract from the depot. However, due to some incidents of irregularities, BRTC cancelled his contract and stopped supplying the vehicles to him, which infuriated him.

According to OC Anwar, Didar was accused in a murder case in 2022.

Court sources said the case is now under trial and according to the charge sheet, the victim Abdul Halim Rubel was stabbed to death by Didar and others over a feud over the appointment of BRTC bus officials.