Startling confession from CUFL's ex-MD

Former managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) Mohsin Talukder yesterday implicated the then industries secretary and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) chairman in the offloading of the 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition hauled in 2004.
Mohsin in his confessional statement on the second day of his two-day fresh remand mentioned about former BCIC chairman Maj General Imamuzzaman. He also claimed to have informed the then industries secretary Nurul Amin who was staying at the CUFL rest house the night the consignment reached.
The former CUFL MD made the hour-long confessional statement after he was brought to the court around 12:30am. Metropolitan Magistrate Osman Gani recorded the threepage statement, sources said.
In the confessional statement Mohsin Talukder said he was not aware of the arrival of the two engine boats carrying the deadly consignment.
“As soon as Mobin Hossain Khan, the then assistant security officer of CUFL, informed me of the offloading I directed him to beef up the security and made a phone call to the then BCIC Chairman. However, he did not receive the call,” said the sources quoting the confessional statement.
“Later in the next morning I met the industry secretary at breakfast and informed him of the matter and also the BCIC chairman of the offloading over phone,” he said.
“At this, the BCIC chairman rebuked me for not informing him of the matter at night at any cost,” he claimed in the confession.
“Later, the BCIC chairman and the industry secretary talked about the matter over phone. But, I did not receive any instruction from them and was kept inactive,” defended the former CUFL MD in the confessional statement.
Sources said, before making the statement under 164 Mohsin Talukder also gave the same statement to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigators at Chittagong divisional headquarters.
Meanwhile, two witnesses--Sheikh Ahmed, a Kodomtali based transport broker, and Salim Ullah, an accountant of the Dewanhat overbridge adjacent to Greenways--also gave statements under 164 yesterday.
They identified arrested NSI Field Officer Akbar Hossain Khan as the person who hired seven trucks and a crane from Greenways Transport Agency, which were to carry the seized consignment.
Metropolitan Magistrate Abdur Rob recorded their statements, sources said.
Meanwhile, the IO of the case ASP Muniruzzaman of CID filed a petition at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court, Chittagong yesterday praying for a fresh 10-day remand for Akbar Hossain as they failed to extract anything from Akbar in his earlier two-day remand that ended last Tuesday evening.