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Largest ever arms haul

Ten truckloads of 10,000 arms, including submachineguns, AK 47 rifles, rocket shells and launchers, 2,000 grenades and 20 lakh bullets seized in Chittagong

Staff Correspondent, Ctg
Joint forces seized 10 truckloads of submachine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, other firearms and bullets on tip-off in the largest ever arms haul in an early morning swoop on the Karnaphuli coast in Chittagong yesterday.
Police and coastguard forces found the new submachine guns, AK-47 rifles, submachine carbines, Chinese pistols, rocket
shells and launchers, hand grenades and bullets stuffed in over 1,000 wooden boxes during
unloading from two vessels at Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited
jetty.
An unofficial estimate said the consignment might run up to 10,000 arms, 2,000 grenades and 20 lakh bullets.
Police arrested five men engaged in unloading of the cache, later taken to the arms warehouse at Dampara Police Lines in Chittagong in 10 trucks guarded by a huge contingent of police, coastguard and paramilitary BDR.
Reaching Chittagong by helicopter yesterday afternoon, State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar said the weapons were smuggled in as part of a conspir-
acy for subversion and did not rule out any link to the April 30 deadline of the main opposition Awami League for the fall of the government.
But a top police officer linked the cache to an international syndicate of arms racketeers.
"We cannot give you the exact number and types of the arms and ammunition until all the boxes are opened and a seizure list is prepared," said SM Sabbir Ali, commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan police.
"We are yet to find any links to the arms seizure. We don't know the motive for smuggling. A thor-
ough investigation will unravel the crime," he added.
Officials preparing a list near heaps of weapons opened from the olive, blue and white boxes in the police lines ground in the presence of Babar and high police officials said the task would take at least two days.
The police lines ground resembled a huge armoury after opening of the boxes and Food Minister Abdullah Al Noman, State Minister for Civil Aviation Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin and former minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and locals legislators were surprised at the huge display.
Deputy Commissioner (Port) Abdullahil Baki said Karnaphuli police hemmed in the jetty at 1:00am acting on the secret information that MV Khawja and FT Amanat were disgorging the hardware under the cover of night.
Members of the coastguard, led by Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Khurshid, also sealed the Karnaphuli channel.
Apprehending the movement of security forces the crew of the vessels, truck drivers and most of the 150 workers handling the consign
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ment except for the five arrested fled the scene.
The haul dwarfs the seizure of over 100,000 rifle bullets and 200 kilograms of explosives in Bogra.
Caches of sophisticated weapons were also seized in restive Chittagong Hill tracts over the last few months.