Dhaka: Rajdhahi Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) on Wednesday took over Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Moudud Ahmed's Gulshan house following a court order.

"We launched an eviction drive at about 11:00am and we've already taken over the house," said Rajuk Executive Magistrate Waliur Rahman in the afternoon.

Earlier, the utility services like gas, water and electricity of the house were disconnected while its valuables and furniture removed.

Rajuk started the eviction drive to take over the property as the Supreme Court ordered it to mutate the 1.13 bigha land at Road-79 of Gulshan-2 where Moudud Ahmed had been residing since 1981.

On Sunday, the Appellate Division dismissed two petitions filed by the BNP leader seeking a review of its earlier verdict scrapping his possession of the property.

A large number of police were deployed around the house to avert any unpleasant incident during the eviction drive.

Senior Rajuk officials were present.

On June 4, The Supreme Court dismissed two pleas seeking review of apex court judgment cancelling High Court verdict to transfer the title of entry of a Gulshan house in the name of Moudud Ahmed’s brother Manjur Ahmed.

A five-member Appellate Division panel headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha dismissed the plea with observations, paving way for the former law minister to leave house number 159, in Gulshan-2 for sure.

The apex court on that day also dismissed a review plea of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) challenging Appellate Division judgment quashing a graft case filed in this regard against Moudud and his brother Manjur.

The BNP leader in his reaction after the verdict said he is not going to leave the possession of the house, where he is living with his family for last three decades, right now.

‘I have many memories attached to this house. Now I am going to try to reach a mutual agreement with the main owner of the house. If the government asks me to leave the house, I will continue my legal battle,’ he said.

Earlier on August 2, 2016, the apex court cancelled a High Court order that had asked Rajuk to transfer the title of entry of the establishment in name of Moudud’s brother.

According to sources, the real owner of that plot numbered 159 in Gulshan-2 was a Pakistani citizen named Mohammad Ehsan. It was registered in his wife’s name. But they fled Bangladesh for Pakistan in 1971, deserting the property.  It was registered as an abandoned property in 1972.

The next year Moudud was allocated the plot by the government as he submitted a forged document citing his brother as its owner.