The government has turned down a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) request to probe the huge Kuril-Badda arms and ammunition haul close to the US mission in Dhaka.
Rather, it said it would investigate the seizure and provide the US with information, according to home ministry sources.
Following the assurance, the ministry handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which with the help of national security agencies has started work on the case.
CID Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Munshi Atiqur Rahman is leading the investigation, assisted by a team of officials of Special Branch, Detective Branch, NSI (National Security Intelligence) and army intelligence, according
to Sunday's decision by the home ministry.
State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar however said: "I don't know of any FBI request for probe."
Soon after the arms recovery, US embassy officials took pictures of those at the police office.
However, FBI involvement in cases is nothing new as the US crime-busting agency had investigated the recovery of a 76-kg bomb at Gopalganj where the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to hold a public meeting.
Some high police officials however are sceptic about the CID taking charge of the Kuril case and point out that the CID probes into the Bogra arms haul and a string of bomb blasts since 1999 fizzled out.
Police investigators claimed to have found leads to the cache in their primary investigation that links the November 30 seizure of four AK-47 rifles, two revolvers, 20 grenades, a high-frequency wireless set and hundreds of bullets, to a group of 'insurgents'.
They also mentioned the smugglers used Dhaka as the 'transit route' for the arms.
A CID official however sounded optimistic about the case.
On why the case was handed over to the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch Farooq Ahmad said, "Investigators need to visit and raid places outside Dhaka and only the CID can do
M. ORE POLICE FINDINGS
Shortly after midnight of November 30, a truck from an unspecified northern district pulled in Rampura and its helper got down on the pretext of fixing engine. The trucker unloaded four cartons of arms from under his seat and the helper stashed the cache in the tin-roofed signboard shop of Manik, who was arrested in Kuril the same night.
A gang of 'Angulkata' Robin, Uttara's Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal leader Lincoln and Manik sought assistance from Jahangir, nephew of the local ward commissioner and one Mukhles in the smuggling bid.
The group, based in Moghbazar, also hired Uttara's Rubel alias Aziz and one Shamsu.
Jahangir and Mukhles were on the watch for the truck and remained in touch with its driver by cellphone until the vehicle delivered the arms and drove back to Uttara.
TWIN ARRESTS
The gang was busy loading magazines of the firearms in the shop under the cover of dark. Curious, a night guard went close to the shop and wanted to know what was happening but was scared off by
the gangsters.
A police patrol, called by the guard, saw the gang with firearms in hand and informed high officials who raided the shop.
The area came alive with exchange of gunshots between the gang and police in the raid that led to the arrest of Manik and Rubel and seizure of the firearms and ammunition.
The intelligence report says the arms were unloaded in Dhaka, as the smugglers were unpaid for the task.
MYSTERIOUS MUSA
In the wake of the seizure, one Musa was seen frequenting the houses of the arrestees. A day into the incident, Musa arrived at Mokhles' home in combat dress with another four on a pickup. They took a motorbike and left the area after they visited the houses of two other suspects.