Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Saturday arrested a fugitive war criminal who was sentenced to death for his crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971.

The arrestee is 69-year-old AK Aminul Haque, alias Rajab Ali. He was arrested in the capital’s Kalabagan area.

He was found guilty of murder, looting, arson, torture, and kidnapping in Kishoreganj, Bhairab, Brahmanbaria, and Habiganj districts in 1971.

He also formed "Al-Badr" forces in the area to assist the Pakistani army in Bhairab and served as the commander of the Kishoreganj district.

On December 18, 1971, Rajab Ali surrendered to the Joint Forces.

In 1972, five cases were filed against him with Ashtagram Police Station. He was sentenced to 40 years in jail in the case. But he was released from Dhaka Central Jail in 1982 as he got presidential clemency after serving a jail term of only 10 years.

Later, he fled to a country in the Middle East and then went to Pakistan several times. In 1997, Rajab came to Dhaka again.