[Bangla Daily Star] Detained former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar and former National Security Intelligence chief Maj Gen (retd) Rezaqul Haider Chowdhury both admitted yesterday that they were aware of the smuggling of 10 truckloads of firearms and ammunition.The confessions came as the Criminal Investigation Department brought the two face to face at the CID headquarters for interrogation in connection with the smuggling.
"Babar admitted that he had directed police personnel to hide the truth as several top ranking and influential persons of the four-party alliance were involved in the smuggling," said a CID source.
"The former NSI boss [Rezaqul] said although he knew about the smuggling, he had nothing to do in this regard because of the involvement of top officials of the then government," the source said.
The CID officials, however, said both Babar and Rezaqul were still trying to hide the truth and save themselves.
When contacted, Assistant Superintendent of Police Maniruzzaman, the investigation officer of the arms haul case, declined to make any comment.
Babar was brought to the CID headquarters in Dhaka from Habiganj after he was taken on a six-day remand in connection with the killing of former finance minister SAMS Kibria. Rezaqul Haider was brought from Chittagong after he was placed on a five-day remand in connection with the smuggling case.
CID officials said Babar was being interrogated in connection with both the arms haul and Kibria murder cases.
According to the CID, the former state minister claimed that retired ASP Munshi Atiqur Rahman, who was the investigation officer of the Kibria murder case, had misguided him with wrong information.