Case hearing begins

Police produce principal accused Hafiz in court in Chittagong yesterday in the arms smuggling case. PHOTO: STAR

The court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge AKM Anwar Hossain heard two witnesses--Havilder Golam Rasul, who first received the information about the unloading of smuggled weapons, and Nurul Alam Sawdagar.

Nurul Alam, also a witness in another case filed under the Arms Act, was declared "hostile" as he denied knowing anything about the incident.

The court also issued arrest warrant against plaintiff of the case Ahadur Rahman, the then officer-in-charge (OC) of Karnaphuli Police Station now on special duty in Dhaka, for remaining absent from the hearing.

At the hearing, Golam Rasul said while on duty at the police station on that night he received an anonymous phone call, informing about the unloading of some smuggled goods at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser jetty.

He claimed to have informed the matter to Sergeant Alauddin of the Karnaphuli outpost adjacent to the jetty and the OC immediately.

"We rushed to the spot and found the deadly weapons and ammunition being loaded on trucks from cargo boats under the supervision of Hafizur Rahman," he said.

"Those involved in the smuggling fled the scene, sensing our presence," he said.

Earlier on October 24, the court framed charge in the arms smuggling case against 44 persons. Of them, 11 have been absconding while 28 are on bail and five are in jail.