The incident of the 10-Truck Arms and Ammunition Haul took place in Chattogram, Bangladesh, on the night of 1 April 2004, when police and Coast Guard interrupted the loading of ten trucks and seized extensive illegal arms and ammunition at a jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) on the Karnaphuli River. This is believed to be the largest arms smuggling incident in the history of Bangladesh.
Investigators believed that delivery was intended for the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a militant group seeking the independence of Assam from India and considered responsible for causing thousands of deaths since 1979. Its military wing chief, Paresh Baruah,[1] then living in Dhaka, was among the 50 persons ultimately charged in the case.[2]
This incident occurred during the administration of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its Four-Party alliance, which led the government from 2001 to late October 2006. Media analysts said that, given the scale of the operation and existing problems with corruption, high government officials and intelligence officers were believed to be involved in the smuggling plans. In 2004, arms smuggling charges were filed against a total of 45 individuals under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and arms charges against 43 persons under the Arms Act.[3] In March 2009, one of the accused submitted a ten-page statement about the case, saying he had told police of high-level government involvement as early as 2005. He said his confessions were not recorded and officials warned him against repeating his statements, upon the threat of death.[2]
In early 2007 the caretaker government filed corruption charges against more than 160 politicians, civil servants and businessmen; it continued to develop this case. Prosecution of this smuggling case has continued under the Awami League government, formed after winning the general elections in December 2008.[3]
Seizure
The police and Coast Guard interrupted the loading of materials in the smuggling incident. They seized ten truckloads of material: a total of 4,930 different types of sophisticated firearms; 27,020 grenades; 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 2,000 grenade launching tubes; 6,392 magazines; and 1,140,520 bullets, which were being loaded on ten trucks from two-engine boats at the jetty of CUFL at Chittagong harbour. The illegal arms were believed to be intended for ULFA, the militant organisation working for independence of Assam from India, with many members based in Bangladesh. It is classified as a terrorist group by India and considered responsible for thousands of deaths since its founding in 1979.
Ahadur Rahman, then officer-in-charge of Karnaphuli police station, filed a case related to the incident on 3 April 2004. He was appointed as Investigation Officer (IO) of the cases. After 22 days, the cases were transferred to the national CID, where ASP AKM Kabir Uddin was appointed IO. He submitted the first charge sheet to the court on 11 June 2004. In 2004, arms smuggling charges were filed against a total of 45 individuals under the Special Powers Act and arms charges against 43 persons under the Arms Act.[3]
The Bangladesh National Party, which led the government at the time of the smuggling incident, resigned at end of term in October 2006 and a caretaker government took charge for the 90-day period until elections. On 11 January 2007, Chief Advisor and President Iajuddin Ahmed announced he would be resigning from the CA position and appointing a replacement; the military had intervened to support a neutral government following the withdrawal of the Awami League from elections scheduled for 22 January. The prominent banker, Fakhruddin Ahmed, who had been with the World Bank, was appointed as Chief Advisor.[4]
Trial
Since 2007, prosecution has been emphasised for the arms smuggling and illegal arms charges in this smuggling case. Those charged in this case have included the following politicians and military officers who had held senior positions in the BNP-led government, which resigned at its end of term in late October 2006:
In addition, the following prominent company officials were charged in this case: Mohshin Talukder, managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited, and its general manager, AKM Enamul Haque.[2]
The military wing chief of ULFA, Paresh Baruah,[1] was also charged.[2] Since 1979, ULFA has been implicated in violence resulting in the deaths of thousands in its struggle for independence of Assam from India.[6] "The Indian authorities have long complained that Bangladesh has become a safe haven for insurgent groups active in north-eastern Indian states."[7] Since 2008, the government of Bangladesh has been working with India against such terrorist groups.
Nurul Amin and Paresh Baruah fled the country before being arrested. Many of the other suspects were arrested.
On 26 June 2011, the current Investigation Officer in the smuggling case submitted a supplementary charge sheet before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Paresh Chandra Sharma, that implicated eleven more people. Including overlap, the total number of suspects charged were 50 in the smuggling case and 52 in the arms case. New people charged included Motiur Rahman Nizami, former Industries Minister under the BNP government; and Lutfozzaman Babar, former State Minister for Home Affairs. Four suspects have died since original charges were filed.[3]
Md Hafizur Rahman and Din Mohammad, charged in the smuggling case, submitted statements to the Metropolitan Magistrate Md Osman Gani on 2 March 2009, saying that the massive amount of arms and ammunition was being smuggled under the direct supervision of Ulfa leader Paresh Barua, who was residing in Dhaka at that time. In addition, they said that numerous men associated with the BNP-led government and Jatiya Party, including members of parliament, government officials, leaders of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI),were very much aware of the operation.[2]
Hafizur had a ten-page statement, reiterating what he said was information earlier provided to police after he surrendered on 25 October 2005. But, he said his earlier confessions were never recorded, and officials warned him against making such statements. He said in his 2009 statement that they had threatened him with death. He discussed first being contacted in 2001 about accepting a shipment at Chittagong. It was not until February 2004 that he learned the true identity of a man he knew originally as Zaman; the man admitted to being Paresh Baruah, military wing chief of ULFA.[2]
The trials began in 2012 in Chittagong. On 28 November 2012, tight security accompanied ten of eleven charge-sheeted accused persons who were presented in court. That day, the prosecution witness Mobin Hossain Khan, former assistant security officer of Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), testified that former Industries Secretary Nurul Amin was informed of the smuggling operation in advance. The next sessions were scheduled for 7 January 2013.[3]
Verdict
On 30 January 2014, a special court in Chittagong commuted death sentence to Paresh Barua and 13 others, including Jamaat chief and then industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami and then state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, for smuggling in ten truckloads of firearms in 2004.[8]
Appeal & Disposal
On 6 November 2024, the death reference and appeal against the judgment of the Judiciary Court on this truck weapon case was heard on high court of Bangladesh.[9]
On December 18, 2024, the High Court acquitted four individuals, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and former NSI Director General (Ret.) Major General Rezzaqul Haider Chowdhury, in this case.[10][11][12][13]
On January 14, 2025, the High Court acquitted six individuals, including former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and former NSI Director General (Ret.) Major General Rezzaqul Haider Chowdhury, in a case filed under the Arms Act. Additionally, the sentences of five out of the 14 individuals who had received life sentences, including Paresh Baruah, were reduced. Paresh Barua's sentence was reduced to 14 years, and the sentences of four other accused individuals were reduced to 10 years.[14][15]
Related Research Articles
The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is an armed separatist militant organisation operating in the Northeast Indian state of Assam. It seeks to establish an independent sovereign nation state of Assam for the indigenous Assamese people through an armed struggle in the Assam conflict. The Government of India banned the organisation in 1990 citing it as a terrorist organisation, while the United States Department of State lists it under "other groups of concern".
Barua is a common Assamese surname shared by the Assamese communities much like Aroras of Punjab.
Motiur Rahman Nizami was a politician, former Minister of Bangladesh, Islamic scholar, writer and a former Ameer of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He is noted for leading Al-Badr during the Bangladesh Liberation War. On 29 October 2014, he was convicted of masterminding the Demra massacre by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. Nizami was the Member of Parliament for the Pabna-1 constituency from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. He also served as the Bangladeshi Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Industry.
Paresh Baruah, also known by the alias Paresh Asom is an Indian separatist militant who is the army chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), which is seeking Independence for Assam from the Indian Union. He is the vice-chairperson and the commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Assam – Independent. Baruah lives in Yunnan, China where he receives funding and patronage from the Chinese Ministry of State Security (China). He has also insisted that Han Chinese are friends of the Assamese and want to help them become independent, even though his influence has largely diminished.
The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack took place at an anti-terrorism rally organised by Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August 2004. The attack left 24 dead and more than 500 injured. The attack was carried out at 5:22 pm after Sheikh Hasina, the leader of opposition had finished addressing a crowd of 20,000 people from the back of a truck. Hasina also sustained some injuries in the attack.
Anup Chetia is the General Secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam in Assam. He is also one of the founder leaders of the group. He was born at Jerai Gaon in Tinsukia district of Assam.
Raju Baruah (Assamese:, alias Anees Ahmed, is the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the Chief of military operations, military spokesperson and the head of the near-autonomous 'Enigma Force' of the banned outfit ULFA in Assam. When the outfit's Commander-in-Chief Paresh Baruah was said to be critically ill, Raju Baruah was reportedly assumed to be the new military head.
Sashadhar Choudhury or Sasha Choudhury is the Foreign Secretary of the outlawed group ULFA, Assam. His predecessor was Javed Bora. He hails from Helosa gaon in Nalbari district of Assam. He is married to Runima Choudhury and they have a daughter Shishir.
Chitrabon Hazarika is the Finance Secretary of the banned group ULFA, Assam. He has also been holding the additional charge of general secretary since Anup Chetia’s arrest in 1997. A commerce graduate he hails from Jakhalabandha in Nagaon district of Assam. He is married to Pranati Deka, the arrested Cultural Secretary of the group.
Lutfozzaman Babar is a Bangladeshi politician, who served as the State Minister of Home Affairs in the Khaleda Zia Cabinet from 2001 to 2006, as a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Chittagong Medical College, abbreviated as CMC is a public medical college located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and second largest medical educational institute and hospital in Bangladesh. It is affiliated with the Chittagong Medical University.
Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury is a retired Bangladesh Army officer who is the former director of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and National Security Intelligence.
Abdur Rahim was a Bangladesh Army officer who served as the director general of National Security Intelligence from 2001 to 2005.
Sadik Hasan Rumi is a former Major General of Bangladesh Army who served as Director General of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) from May 2006 to May 2007.
Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited is a urea fertilizer company in Chittagong and is owned by the state owned Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
Talukdar is a historic occupational title in South Asia which is now used as a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Tapan Baruah was the first Commander of 28th Battalion of ULFA. Killed on 20 May 2002, Tapan Baruah was widely known as a skilled hardcore militant in guerrilla warfare in the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom.
Operation Bajrang was a military operation, conducted by the Indian army, in Assam, against the militant organization, United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Murder of Jamaluddin Ahmed Chowdhury refers to Jamaluddin Ahmed Chowdhury, a businessman, who was murdered after being kidnapped in Chittagong in 2003. His skeleton was recovered two years after the kidnapping. The Daily Star described it as sensational. Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and former member of parliament of Chittagong-12, Sarwar Jamal Nizam, was accused of diverting the investigation to protect his brother who was an accused in the case.
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