Merc Benz, a 1971 war booty, located at Eastern Command

KOLKATA - A Mercedes Benz, a war booty from the 1971 India-Pakistan clash that led to the liberation of Bangladesh, has been traced to the Eastern Command headquarters here.

The car was used to drive down Pakistan Army Commander Lt.General A.A.K. Niazi to the Dhaka airport to receive then general officer commanding-in-chief of Eastern Command, Lt. General J.S. Arora ahead of the Pakistan Army’s historic surrender Dec 16, 1971.

The vehicle was the staff car of Lt. Gen. Niazi.

“The car has been located. It is in the charge of the Eastern Command,” an army source told IANS here.

The car, which was used by the general officer commanding-in-chiefs of the Eastern Command till some time back, was reported to be missing.

As per media reports, the car was missing and could have been “scrapped” and auctioned off or taken “off records” to avoid any controversy.

“The car is very much in a serviceable condition. So, it’s not true that it has been scrapped,” the source at the Eastern Army Command said.