Patron, outlaw held with AK-47

Taslima Khan AnkhiOur Correspondents, Kushtia and Jhenidah

Police arrested the general secretary of a faction of Kushtia town Mahila Awami League who has also been a patron of an underground armed group Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF), in connection with transporting firearms and ammunition including an AK-47 rifle on Monday night.

Two other GMF cadres and another Mahila Awami League activist were also arrested.

Kushtia Awami League held an emergency meeting yesterday and suspended the arrested Mahila Awami League leader's membership in the organisation, said Asgar Ali, general secretary of the party's district unit.

In another incident Jhenidah police seized 17 firearms and arrested two illegal arms traders in connection with the recovery yesterday morning.

Our correspondent from Kushtia reported that the arrestees there were identified as Taslima Khan Akhi, 42, general secretary of Kushtia town Mahila Awami League, another Mahila Awami League activist Rani, 25 of Kushtia Housing Estate area, GMF cadres Abdur Razzak, 26 of Kalishankerpur of Kushtia town, and Shahin, 25 of Mahisdanga in Sadar upazila of the town.

Police said Akhi has been a political patron and a firearms transporter for armed GMF. She had also been arrested once earlier in 2006 in connection with the killing of an Awami Jubo League leader in front of her house, but was later released on bail.

Acting on a tip off, three separate police teams led by Assistant Police Super (ASP-Headquarters) Alamgir Hossain stopped a Kushtia bound microbus in Trimohoni area on the outskirts of Kushtia town around 10:45pm.

When the law enforcers wanted to search the microbus, Akhi introduced herself as a Mahila Awami League leader and got into an altercation with them.

At one stage, she tried to start up the microbus and flee, but police barricaded the road with their vehicles.

Finally the law enforcers searched the microbus and discovered an Ak-47 rifle, a shot gun, and 82 rounds of different types of bullets.

Police arrested all four passengers of the vehicle, and took them to Kushtia Police Line.

A team led by Superintendent of Kushtia Police Sahabuddin Khan interrogated them.

Based on the arrestees' confessional statements, separate police teams then raided different locations in Kushtia town and Daulatpur upazila, arresting Akkas Ali, 38 of Dangmorka of Daulatpur upazila the same night.

According to police, Akhi picked up the weapons from Akkas' house around 8:30pm on instruction from top GMF bosses Shahin and Mukul who are now believed to be in India.

Akkas also informed police that Biplob, a regional leader of GMF, had given him the weapons on September 9. Later, Biplob was killed in police 'crossfire' on September 13.

After Biplob's killing, the top leaders of the outfit needed to save the weapons, and they chose Akhi as the person safe enough to be the keeper.

The GMF leaders asked their two cadres Razzak and Shahin to accompany Akhi for transporting the weapons from Akkas' house. Shahin, who has been in the business of microbus services, is also a top cadre of GMF.

According to police, Akhi was transporting the firearms to her house in Aruapara of Kushtia town.

Akhi also told police that the GMF bosses asked her to hide the weapons in her house until the next directive, said ASP Alamgir Hossain.

AKHI'S CONNECTION WITH ARMED ACTIVITIES

Police said they learned that Akhi has been transporting firearms for the armed underground group for more than ten years. She has also been giving shelter to the outfit's cadres in her house in Kushtia town. She has been getting handsome amounts of money from the outfit for the service as well. She managed to stay out of the list of suspects by becoming a leader of Mahila Awami League.

JAMU MURDER

Mir Jamirul Islam Jamu, 36, a contractor, was killed on October 31, 2006. According to police records, Jamu went to Akhi's house on an invitation for dinner. As he was coming out of Akhi's house around 10:30pm following the dinner, a group of unidentified people sprayed automatic weapons fire on Jamu killing him on the spot.

Later, GMF claimed responsibility for the killing terming Jamu as their rival. Shimu, wife of Jamu filed a case with Sadar police station without mentioning any suspect's name.

Police then arrested Akhi from her house. The magistrate court sent Akhi to jail. But she was out on bail in seven days. The case is still pending.

2 HELD WITH 17 FIREARMS IN JHENIDAH

Our Jhenidah correspondent reported that police there seized 17 firearms and arrested two illegal arms traders from a bus at Arabpur bus stand yesterday morning.

The arrestees are Azad Hossain and Saidul Islam of Andulia village in Chowgachha upazila of Jessore.

Officer-in-charge of Jhenidah Sadar Police Station Anwar Hossain said they recovered the firearms and arrested the two from a Rajshahi bound bus around 9:40am yesterday.

Jhenidah Police Super Rezaul Karim confirmed that the arrestees were illegal arms traders.

He said the seized firearms are modified air guns that were used in different crimes. Those were being taken to Rajshahi zero point from Jessore BRTC counter, he added.

Police arrested the two during a drive they were conducting following up on information that a large supply of firearms would be transported to Rajshahi illegally through the district.