The Detective Branch (DB) of Bangladesh police have arrested the country's largest Islamist party chief and eight other leaders in capital Dhaka, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer (president) Maqbul Ahmad and eight other leaders including Secretary General Shafiqur Rahman and Nayeb-e-Ameer (vice president) Mia Golam Parwar were detained in Dhaka tonight," a DB official who did not like to be named told Xinhua Monday night.

He said DB men detained them from a house in the city while holding secret meeting at about 9 pm (local time).

"We've got information that they meet secretly as part of hatching conspiracy to carry out subversive activities," he said.

A Jamaat spokesman was not available for comment.

-- BERNAMA