Lutfuzzaman Babar walks free after 17 years in jail

Former State Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfuzzaman Babar, is finally free after spending 17 years in prison.

On Thursday afternoon, January 16, he was released from Keraniganj Central Jail, marking the end of a long chapter in his life.

Just two days earlier, on Tuesday, Babar was acquitted of his life sentence in a case filed under the Arms Act in connection to the infamous 10-truck arms smuggling case in Chittagong.

Babar wasn’t the only one cleared of charges.

Four others were also acquitted in the same case.

These individuals include Mohsin Uddin Talukder, the former Managing Director of the state-run Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), K. M. Enamul Hoque, the then General Manager (Administration), Major General (Retd.) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, who previously served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Directorate (DGFI), and Nurul Amin, former Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Industries.

Earlier, on December 18, Babar and six others were also acquitted from death sentences in another case connected to the same 10-truck arms smuggling incident in Chittagong.

In court, Lutfuzzaman Babar was represented by his lawyer, Shishir Monir, who presented his defense.

The release of Babar marks a significant moment in the long-running legal saga surrounding the 10-truck arms smuggling case.