Shakil Ahmed, chief news editor and chief reporter Farzana Rupa, who were sacked from private television channel Ekatar TV, have been arrested. He was detained from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday (21 August) morning.

According to Shahjalal Airport sources, the couple Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa went to Shahjalal Airport this morning. They also had a daughter. They were supposed to fly to Paris, France via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight (TK-713). But the immigration police did not allow them to go abroad as they did not get clearance from the City SB. Later they were handed over to DB officials.

Earlier on August 8, a notification signed by Mustafa Azad on behalf of the managing director of Ekatar Television informed that, according to the decision and instructions of the management authority of Ekatar Media Limited, Shakeel Ahmed and Farzana Rupa were dismissed from their jobs from August 8. They were known as two pro-Awami League journalists.