A Dhaka court today placed two members of Ansar Ullah Bangla team on an eight-day remand each in connection with the killing of secular blogger Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy.

The two -- Saad-al-Nahin, 26, a nephew of the State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu, and Masud Rana -- were arrested in Uttara and Mirpur respectively last night.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shaiful Alam Mollah passed the order after Mahbubur Rahman, inspector of detective branch of police, produced them before the court with 10 day remand prayer for each.

Their remand is needed in a bid to recover machetes, stolen goods and to arrest fugitives involved with the killing, said Rahman also investigation officer of the case.

"We have gained adequate facts and evidence involving the killing against the arrestees," he said.

Nahin was earlier arrested along with three others in April 2013 for attempting to murder blogger Asif Mohiuddin in January that year. They were later freed on bail.

His father Nazrul, who lives in Kishoreganj, claimed his son's innocence in regard to the Niloy murder.

"I was with my son in Dhaka all the time between August 6 and 8. There is no way he could be involved in the killing," Nazrul told The Daily Star over the phone yesterday.

Niloy, 28, was hacked to death by suspected ABT militants inside his house at Goran in the capital on August 7.