Solimulla checked the time in his wrist watch. Outside the terminal his land rover was in the parking lot. At a very slow pace they were moving towards the parking lot. Abruptly, Solimulla stopped in his track.,

“When the relief goods were loaded into the container, I personally checked the bolt seals. Their ID numbers were written in a top to bottom order. But the ID numbers on bolt seals I’ve just checked, starts at the bottom and then moves up,” Solimulla said to Rafiq.

Rafiq couldn’t comprehend what Solimulla was talking about. He shrugged his shoulders to express his indifference.

“Let’s go and find out what’s going on,” Solimulla added.

Solimulla started rechecking the bolt seals when they returned to the containers. Something attracted his attention. He began scratching the numbers on the bolt seal. A sticker like layer came off and then, hidden under it, the actual ID numbers became visible. Solimulla realized, those bolt seals were not the ones Solimulla had used to secure the containers while they were in Medina. Their ID numbers were different. On their way to the port, somewhere, those original bolt seals had been replaced.

Solimulla told Faisal to inform the port authority. He said, he would like to open the containers for checking. Within ten minutes, on behalf of the port authority, an officer arrived at the scene with an Indian laborer. The laborer had a breaker bar and a crowbar with him. The officer held a clipboard in his hand. He told Faisal to put his signature on a form attached to the clipboard. The moment he got the approval, the officer instructed the laborer to break open the bolt lock of the container in front of them with his breaker bar. Solimulla was taken aback by the sight of stacked wooden crates inside the container. In Medina, the relief goods were packed inside paper cartons before loading them into the container. Solimulla also noticed that the interior of the container was painted blue instead of being white. Upon receiving a hand signal from Solimulla, this time the laborer opened one of the wooden crates with his crowbar. None had any problem recognizing the neatly stored hand grenades inside the crate. A thin line of sweat appeared on Solimulla’s forehead. Helplessly Faisal looked at Solimulla. Jaws dropped, as everyone kept staring at each. With an unusually calm voice, Solimulla told the port officer to call the police.

Out of those twenty containers, the police confiscated one hundred grenade launchers, over a thousand RPGs, two thousand Ak-47 assault rifles, and twenty thousand rounds of ammunition. The entire area of the north terminal was cordoned off by the police. Everyone present at the scene was taken to the police station for questioning. The interrogation continued till ten at night. They were told to sign a bond before their release from the police station. Arrest warrant was issued against the container truck drivers after an initial investigation. The police learned from the port authority that the drivers had left for Dubai with twenty empty containers of Al Hayat group. Therefore, the warrant was sent to the address of the Al Hayat in Dubai. Solimulla informed the police that Baitul Omar did not actually own the containers which had the confiscated arms and ammunition. Solimulla and Baitul Omar’s other employees were all present at the scene when the containers were loaded with relief goods in Medina. Apart from that, there was CCTV footage of the type of relief goods which were boxed in paper cartons and then loaded into the containers. He gave assurance, if required, the evidence would be made available to the court. Solimulla feared that on their way to Jedda, the containers of Baitul Omar had been hijacked and then replaced by identical ones. The police suspected, someone onboard Al Walid, or someone at the port knew about it. Subsequently, the police summoned the captain and his associates for their statements.

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According to the police, the following investigation would require at least two weeks. In the meantime, all possible suspects were told not to leave Saudi Arabia. Solimulla did not miss this opportunity to inform the officer in charge of the police station about Mr. ‘S’. Subsequently, he handed over to the officer, the mobile number this villainous character used to communicate with him before coming out of the premises of the police station.

Unintentionally, Rafiq found himself caught up by this fiasco. He was basically, an unsuspecting bystander in this episode. He could guess, Solimulla had no hand in it. Hence, he chose to remain quiet. Over the phone, Ajiz advised him to return to Medina as soon as possible. On the other hand, at midnight, Solimulla received a call from Mr. ‘S’ once more. This time the villain used a different number to make contact. In a very low voice he was heard saying, “The weapons were destined for your brethren in Arakan, why did you foil the shipment?”

“I did not foil it, the police did.”

“Are you trying to be funny with me? If you had not exposed it, the police wouldn’t know. You could have ignored it.”

“Why would I ignore an incident like this? It would tantamount to aiding terror.”

“Have you taken a stand against your Rohingya brethren?”

“I have not taken a stand against any person or group. My stand is against a crime.”

“Is it a crime to help the oppressed Rohingyas?”

“You have no intention at all, to assist the Rohingyas. You want to portray them as terrorists. You simply want to deviate attention away from the fact that they are being ruthlessly persecuted. In the international arena, you want to stigmatize their legitimate struggle. Therefore, do not blabber about assisting them. It’s not wise to accept assistance from blood sucking leeches like you.”

“Since when have you become the representative of those Rohingyas?”

“Since the day, a wolf like you has taken up the clothing of a lamb.”

“Enough! Remember, what you did won’t bear sweet fruits for you. You might have to face the music for what you did.”

“What Almighty has in store for me, nothing will happen beyond that. So, I’ve no problem with it. Please do not try to call me again.”