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| Bangladesh |
| NSI officer held for hiring Chittagong arms trucks |
| 2009-04-20 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] A National Security Intelligence (NSI) field officer was arrested and placed on a two-day remand yesterday for allegedly hiring the 10 trucks that were supposed to carry the arms and ammunition seized at the CUFL jetty. Meanwhile, Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) former managing director (MD) Mohsin Talukder was placed on a two-day fresh remand and investigators got the permission to interrogate CUFL former general manager (GM) Enamul Haq at the jail gate in connection with the arms haul. Ten truckloads of firearms and ammunition were seized at the CUFL jetty in the early hours of April 02, 2004 and two cases were filed in this connection later on. Sources said arrested NSI field officer Akbar Hossain Khan, now serving as a field officer at NSI Gulshan circle, reportedly hired the 10 trucks under the fake name of NSI field officer 'Abul Hossain' to carry the deadly weapons. Akbar Hossain was interrogated Saturday after owner and manager of the transport agency, which provided the trucks, made statements before a magistrate. Habibur Rahman and Taslim Mallick--owner and manager--of Greenways transport agency in their statements before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Kiron Chandra Roy on April 12 said NSI field officer 'Abul Hossain' hired the trucks from them saying he would transport salt. Following their statements the investigators Saturday interrogated Akbar Hossain as well as Assistant Director (AD) Mohammad Ali Chowdhury of NSI Gulshan circle (the then AD of NSI, Chittagong) at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Chittagong divisional headquarters in Dampara Police Lines. Since Akbar Hossain continued to deny his involvement in the matter Habibur Rahman was brought in to identify him as the person who hired the trucks. The CID arrested Akbar after receiving clearance from higher authorities. NSI AD Mohammad Ali Chowdhury, who gave statement under 161, was kept under close vigilance and he might be called for further interrogation later, said investigation officer of the case Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, senior ASP of CID, Chittagong division. Akbar Hossain was produced before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Hannan with a five-day remand prayer yesterday afternoon. The investigators also produced CUFL former MD Mohsin Talukder and former GM (administration) Enamul Haq before the same court with a prayer for five-day fresh remand for each. The court placed Mohsin on two days' fresh remand and permitted investigators to interrogate Enamul at the jail gate. The CUFL former MD and GM were placed on a three-day remand each on March 17. The former CUFL officials were reportedly not cooperating with the investigators during questioning. They were arrested after former CUFL assistant security officer made a statement before a magistrate on March 12. Meanwhile, nine more Bangladesh Navy officers, who were serving in Bangladesh Coastguards on deputation early 2004, appeared for questioning yesterday. With them, a total of 26 Navy men including officers and crew, out of listed 38, were questioned in connection with the sensational Chittagong arms haul case. The IO of the case said some of the 26 former Coastguards men who had been interrogated earlier might be called again for further questioning. |
| Posted by:Fred |