Babar saved NSI official

Former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar had ordered CMP commissioner SM Sabbir Ali not to arrest an NSI official for trying to resist the seizure of a huge cache of guns and ammunition at the CUFL jetty in the wee hours of April 2 in 2004.
Sabbir, commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) at the time, said this in a Chittagong court yesterday in his deposition in two cases in connection with the haul of 10-truckoads of arms and explosives.
The deposition of Sabbir, the 11th prosecution witness in the cases, also implicated several National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials, including its former director general Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim and deputy director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain in the smuggling of weapons and ammunition.
Sabbir told Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1 that the then deputy commissioner of CMP (port zone) Abdullah Hel Baki had informed him over the phone around 12:45am about the unloading of illegal goods at the jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL).
“Baki told me that he reached the spot around 3:00am and found illegal guns and ammunition after opening a box. He [Baki] also detained five persons at the scene,” said Sabbir, adding that he was apprised of the obstruction from NSI DD Maj Liakat in the seizure of the arms cache.
“Liakat gave his cell phone to Baki to talk to NSI DG Abdur Rahim, but Baki refused to talk,” stated Sabbir quoting Baki.
The former CMP commissioner maintained that he had tried to contact the inspector general of police (IGP) and additional IG of Special Branch over the phone, but failed.
He then contacted Babar, who told him that DIG (SB) Shamsul Islam had already informed him (Babar) about the incident.
“The minister asked me to seize the guns and ammunition without arresting any NSI man,” mentioned Sabbir.
Earlier, the defence lawyers completed cross-examination of Abdullah Hel Baki, former deputy commissioner of CMP. He was the 10th prosecution witness in the cases.
Lawyers of the accused, among whom are Babar, Maj (retd) Liakat, Brig Gen Abdur Rahim, CUFL managing director Mohsin Uddin Talukder and its general manager KM Enamur Rahman, cross-examined Baki during the last two days.
Sabbir retired in 2007 as additional IG of police, while Baki is now serving as additional commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police.