After it investigated an Islamist NGO and arrested its officials for militant activities, its case was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The CID virtually killed the case and charged the militants for "suspicious activities". Ultimately, all the militants got off the hook.

The frustrated intelligence agency said, "Despite having definite evidence, because of corruption and nexus of the law enforcement agency, the case against people who are acting against the state is becoming meaningless.

"The militant group will find new strength in its activities for the failure to prove the charges against them. This will prove to foreign states that the government did not take action against the arrestees under pressure and gave in to the militants."

The comments may seem prophetic today to many after the August 17 serial blasts as scenes are unfolding.

The agency's observation had its roots in the tracking of an NGO, namely Servants of Suffering Humanity International (SSHI). The SSHI was working to establish a Taliban styled fundamentalist government in Bangladesh.

Based on the agency's information, the CID finally arrested three Bangladeshi citizens, a South African named Ahmed Sadeq Ahmed and a Pakistani named Mohammed Sajed on January 25, 1999. Important documents were found at the organisation's office in Dakkinkhan in Uttara.

But, according to the agency's report, the CID failed to squeeze out any significant information from them even after 14 days of remand. Although there was specific information that two arrestees--Saleem of Manikganj and Shahabuddin of Chittagong--possessed firearms, no attempt was made to recover them. A case was filed against one of the five, Moulana Bakhtiar Hossain who had fought in the Afghan war, for possessing a Pakistani passport. The rest were shown arrested under Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) without any specific charges.

The agency submitted a report to the government on how one of the arrestees, Bakhtiar, had cut a deal with the CID to get free by paying Tk 5 lakh. The agency had recorded Bakhtiar's conversation on mobile with his father about this whole arrangement.

Another arrestee, Saleem, also moved to get free. He got the president of an Islamist NGO, Al Markajul Islam, to lobby for his freedom. Markajul President Moulana Shahidul Islam contacted then two top officials of the home ministry and the Special Branch (SB) of police for the release of Saleem. The militant was later freed on bail. According to the report, an administrative officer of the home ministry made a secret deal with the CID for the release of Bakhtiar and his team for Tk 5 lakh.

After the agency informed home ministry about the secret deals, the CID formed a probe team. The team was provided with the audio tape of the conversations between the home ministry's administrative officer and the CID officials on the secret deal. But no action was taken against any of the persons.

The agency report also said one Mamun Alam working at the SB office supplied the SB's secret reports against the arrestees to Markajul Islam Chairman Mufti Shahidul Islam. Shahidul contacted some influential persons and political leaders, including lawmakers of the Awami League, a top SB official and a Mymensingh superintendent of police for the release of the militants.

Later on April 11, 1999, when a writ petition against the arrest of the two foreign militants was filed, Deputy Attorney General Shafi Uddin Ahmed commented that the case was weakened by filing it under Section 54 of the CrPC and that the case would have been stronger if sedition charges had been brought against them. But, according to the agency report, CID ASP Abdul Kahhar Akand said the sedition case could not be filed for lack of time and necessary evidence.