Lutfozzaman Babor walks out of jail after 17 years
Former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babor has been released from jail Thursday afternoon, after 17 years of imprisonment.
He walked out of the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 2:00 pm, and was welcomed at the jail entrance by the leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well as his supporters from Netrokona.
Suraiya Akter, superintendent of the prison, confirmed the information to Prothom Alo, saying the bail documents reached the jail in the morning and he was released around 2:00 pm after necessary verifications.
According to court and jail sources, the documents on acquittal of Babor in the 10-truck arms smuggling case reached the Keraniganj jail at 9:00 am.
Earlier on 18 December, he was acquitted in another case filed under the special powers act over the same smuggling incident. Also, he was granted bail in all remaining eight cases.
Some 10 trucks loaded with arms were seized at the CUFL jetty in Chattogram on 1 April 2004. Two cases were filed under the arms act and the special powers act at the Karnaphuli police station.
In January, 2014, the Chattogram metropolitan sessions judge’s court and special tribunal-1 sentenced 14 individuals to death, including Babor, Nizami, and ULFA leader Paresh Barua.
In a separate case under the arms act, the same accused were sentenced to life imprisonment. However, the court acquitted six, including Babor, from death sentence in the case on 18 December last year.