They suspect the ruling alliance leaders, including a stalwart, were in charge of handling the deadly consignment of rockets, rocket launchers, grenades, submachine-guns, AK-47 rifles and bullets after its delivery at high sea from a cargo ship bound for Chittagong port.

Customs officials said they were examining the documents of three vessels -- two fishing trawlers and a ship owned by a top BNP leader -- believed to have been used in the latest smuggling of the arms cache.

Intelligence agents alleged a local BNP legislator's brother, who was accused of part in the abduction of magnate Jamal Uddin Ahmed, played the key role in the transport of the cache after its delivery off Chittagong coast.

He is accused of running a giant smuggling syndicate on Anwara and Patiya coasts in collusion with law enforcement agencies.

The intelligence officials also alleged labour leader Dil Mohammad employed workers at Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited jetty on the Karnaphuli to offload the arms from two fishing trawlers and BNP leader Hafiz Mohammad supervised the clandestine operation along with a co-operative. Dil Mohammad is linked to Jamaat.

They went into hiding in the wake of the arms seizure that dwarfed the discovery of 200 kg of explosives and 100,000 rifle bullets in Bogra last year.

The police are yet to seize the car by which Hafiz went to the jetty. Documents show Hathazari upazila BNP leader SM Fazlul Haq owned the car.

Contacted, family members of Fazlul, also owner of Mission Apparel garments factory, said they sold the car to Ahsanullah Chow-dhury Hasan.

Hasan told The Daily Star that he sold the vehicle to Hafiz in 2000.

SINISTER NEXUS

The intelligence agents pointed a finger at a 'sinister nexus' between the police and the smugglers' syndicate that allegedly prompted the officer-in-charge of Karnaphuli Police Station Ahadur Rahman to protect Hafiz and his co-operative during the cargo handling.

The residents of Chittagong expressed despair as Ahadur, accused of abetting the gunrunners in offloading the cargo by the security staff of the fertiliser factory, was not removed from the probe duty.

Amid raging allegations, investigators trying to unravel the high-profile gunrunning mystery said they needed a guideline from the political leadership in their crucial task.