Nizami, Babar among 14 to die

FE Team | Published: January 31, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

CHITTAGONG, Jan 30: A special court here sentenced on Thursday to death 14 people, including Jamaat-e-Islami ameer and war crimes accused Matiur Rahman Nizami and former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, in the sensational 10-truck arms smuggling case, after 10 years of the incident, reports UNB.
Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal Judge SM Mojibur Rahman pronounced the verdict in presence of 11 detained convicts.
The condemned convicts also include former DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence) director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, former DG of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, and three other NSI officials - director (security) Wing Commander Shahab Uddin Ahmed, deputy director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain and field officer Akbar Hossain Khan.
Others awarded death penalty in the case are United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah; former additional secretary (industry) Nurul Amin, the then Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Ltd (CUFL) MD Mahsin Uddin Talukder and its GM (administration) KM Enamul Hoque, three businessmen Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, Deen Mohammad and Haji Abdus Subhan.
Meanwhile, the 14 convicts were also sentenced to life term imprisonment under section 19(A) and seven years imprisonment under section 19 © of the Arms Act filed in connection with the arms haul.
Besides, the condemned convicts were fined Tk 0.50 million each.
The court, however, acquitted 38 of the 52 accused in the smuggling case while 36 of the 50 accused in arms case.
On April 1, 2004, ten trucks of arms were seized from two vessels at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) jetty.
Two cases-one for arms and another for smuggling-were filed with the Karnaphuli police station on the following day under the Special Powers Act and the Arms Act.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted charge-sheet against 44 people in the two cases on June 11, 2004. Further investigation was held following a petition filed by the state. The CID again submitted supplementary charge-sheet on August 25, 2004, but most of the accused in the charge-sheet were workers and boatmen.
After 1/11 changeover, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court ordered for further investigation in the two cases following a petition by the state.
Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, senior assistant superintendent of the CID and the 5th investigation officer of the cases, submitted two supplementary charge-sheets in June 2011, accusing 11 new suspects including Lutfozzaman Babar and Matiur Rahman Nizami. Charges were framed against the new 11 accused on November 15, 2011.
Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal Judge SM Mojibur Rahman on January 13 fixed January 30 for delivering the verdict in the two cases on completion of arguments by the prosecution and the defence.
Fifty people were made accused in the arms case and other 52 in the smuggling case with most of them named in both cases. Of the accused, two have already died.
The seized arms and ammunition including 4,930 sophisticated firearms of different types, 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 27,020 grenades, 2,000 grenade-launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 11.41 million bullets were recovered on April 2, 2004 from the CUFL jetty.
Investigators revealed that delivery was intended for the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).