Maj Gen Rumi

The then government high-ups had connection with the smuggling of 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition seized in 2004, said a former chief of DGFI yesterday before a Chittagong court.
Maj Gen (rtd) Sadik Hasan Rumi, then director general of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, in his testimony also said he had heard of Brig Gen Rezzakul Haider, former director of National Security Intelligence (NSI), being involved in the smuggling.
Assistant Commissioner (prosecution) of Police Nirmalendu Bikash Chakraborty said Rumi, a witness of the arms haul, gave a nine-page statement under section 164 before the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Muntasir Ahmed.
In the statement, Rumi said he received a phone call from Col Rezaur Rahman around 6:00am on April 2, 2004. Rezaur informed that a huge amount of arms and ammunition were held at Chittagong Urea Fartiliser Limited (CUFL) jetty.
But Rezaur could not say where the arms came from, who smuggled the arms into the country and why, said Rumi. Then Rumi called then prime minister Khaleda Zia to give the news but she said she had already been informed.
Rumi called back Rezaur around 7:45am and ordered him to probe the matter. Rezaur informed him the weapons were taken to Dampara Police Line in the port city.
The former DG continued saying that then state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar at about 10:00am over the phone asked him to go with him (Babar) to Chittagong. When Rumi said he did not want to go without the prime minister's permission, Babar assured him that the premier had given her consent.
Rumi along with Babar and Anwarul Ikbal, then DG of Rapid Action Battalion, reached Chittagong on a helicopter.
Rumi said they went to the police line where they saw short machineguns, grenades, rocket launchers and some other automatic firearms which he had not seen before.
He came to know that those weapons had been brought from China for a secessionist organisation of India, the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa).
He also heard of NSI Director Rezzakul Haider having links with Ulfa leader Paresh Barua, Rumi said.
In an incident between January and February 2004, he asked Rezakul to arrest Paresh as he received information that the Ulfa leader was seen at the capital's Gulshan. But Rezzakul informed Rumi that Paresh could not be traced there.
Rumi added a five-member committee headed by then home secretary Omar Faruk was formed to investigate the matter.
The committee submitted an incomplete report since the NSI and some of the government high-ups were involved in the incident, Rumi noted.