Nine cases have been filed against 434 persons in connection with arson attacks on eight buses and a minibus in different parts of Dhaka within a span of a few hours on Thursday afternoon.

Police filed the cases with several police stations on Thursday night.

The law enforces arrested twenty people so far in connection with the incidents, police sources said.

The arson attack took place at Nayapaltan at 12:30pm, followed by torching of a bus in front of Modhumita Cinema Hall in Motijheel at 12:35pm, Bangabandhu Avenue at 1:30pm, in front of Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh at 1:38pm, Kataban at 1:35pm, Shahjahanpur at 1:47pm, Secretariat North Gate at 2:00pm, Nayabazar and Bongshal at 2:28pm, and on Progati Sarani at 4:30pm, according to the fire fighters, witnesses and police.

Though the reason behind the fires could not be known immediately, police suspect the incidents were part of a plan to create chaos.

The fire incidents happened when the voting at Dhaka-18 constituency was going on with BNP candidate SM Jahangir Hossain claiming that his polling agents were kicked out from several centres by ruling party men and law enforcers.