10-truck arms haul verdict today

BSS, Chittagong :All preparations have been completed for delivering the verdict in the much-talked-about 10- truck arms haul cases today.The authorities of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and plain clothes police here have taken up stringent security measures to avert any untoward incident after pronouncing the verdict. CMP sources said, they will engage 500 police personnel around the Chittagong court building and key-point installations all over Chittagong side by side setting up 20 check posts at different strategic places in the metropolis for the purpose. Babul Akter, Additional deputy commissioner of CMP told BSS that they would remain vigilant about the security to ensuresafety to the people in the court building area both before and after pronouncement of the verdict.”Law enforcers have been put on maximum alert and took almost all out security measures in and around the court building and its adjacent area to avert any sabotage acts by the miscreants,” he added. Additional number of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and plain clothes police personnel were deployed at the all entrances of court building since 6 pm on Wednesday, he added.The court of Chittagong Metropolitan Session Judge and the judge of Special Tribunal-1 SM Mujibur Rahman, on January 13 fixed the date to pronounce the verdict today, (January 30). All accused persons including former industries minister and war crime accused Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, former state minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babar, former Managing Director of CUFL Mohammad Mohsin Uddin Talukdar, former General Manager (administration) of CUFL Enamul Hoque, former Director General of NSI Brigadier General Abdur Rahim, the then director general of DGFI Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, among others, will be present before the court during the pronouncement of the verdict. Law enforcers and Coast Guard personnel seized ten truck- load of arms, ammunitions and explosives while those were being off- loaded at CUFL jetty area at the south-east bank of the river Karnaphuli under Karnaphuli Police Station on the night of April 1 in 2004. Two cases were filed the next day with Karnaphuli Police Station under the Special Powers Act for arms smuggling and under the Arms Act.In 2004, investigators submitted the first charge sheet against 45 people in the smuggling and 43 people in the arms case. Four people, who were accused in both the cases, have already died.After the supplementary charge sheet was submitted on June 26 in 2012, the number of accused in the cases, one for smuggling firearms and the other under the arms act, are 50 and 52 respectively.