Key-suspects of Bangladesh's paramilitary rebellion gives confessional statement Mutiny suspects appear in court

Dhaka: Two prime suspects of the February 25-26 paramilitary mutiny in Bangladesh gave statements to a magistrate on Saturday as the process got underway to bring the culprits of the carnage to justice, officials said.

Court officials said the suspected key-planners of the mutiny, junior Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) officer Touhid Alam and soldier Habibur Rahman, who reportedly shot dead the paramilitary force's chief Major General Shakil Ahmad, admitted their role in the rebellion. The mutiny led to the killing of 57 army officers who were serving the border force.

Metropolitan Magistrate Emdadul Haque recorded their statements on Saturday evening as the two were brought before him at the downtown court premises under security escorts.

"We consider it a breakthrough in prosecuting the killers," an official of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is carrying out the police probe into the carnage, told Gulf News.

Alam, a deputy assistant director of the border force, and Rahman made the confession as they were remanded in custody for the fourth time for interrogation.

Alam had led a rebel delegation in talks with Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina to obtain a general amnesty for the mutineers on February 25.

"He admitted that he knew that the army officers had already been killed by his men but did not disclose it during the talks with the prime minister," another CID official said.

Bangladesh made public a report on the rebellion last month, which also named Alam as a key leader of the mutiny.