RAB personnel escorting Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat to his office at Kakrail in the capital after he was arrested from Cumilla on Sunday — Collected The casino kingpin and Juba League leader Ismail Hossain Samrat was sent to jail hours after he was arrested in Cumilla early Sunday.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) collared Samrat, the so-called ringleader of Dhaka's underworld casino business, in Chauddagram sub-district.
A RAB-7 team from Dhaka arrested Samrat, president of Dhaka South Juba League, from a hideout in Kunja Sreepur village under Alkara union around 5:00 am.
Later, the elite crime-busters raided his Kakrail office, Mohakhali DOHS residence and his brother's house in Shantinagar neighbourhood.
After the drive, a RAB mobile court awarded Samrat six months' imprisonment for illegally possessing exotic animal skins.
The casino lynchpin was later sent to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
Earlier, foreign liquor, Yaba pills, firearms and two pieces of kangaroo skin were seized from his office on the seventh floor of Bhuiyan Trade Centre.
RAB legal and media wing director Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem said Samrat's sidekick Enamul Haque Arman, vice-president of Dhaka South Juba League, was also caught from Chauddagram.
The RAB personnel told the media that Samrat and Arman were detained on 'specific charges'.
RAB recovered 19 bottles of foreign liquor brands, 1,160 Yaba pills, a 7.65mm firearm with five rounds of bullet and kangaroo skins from Samrat's office.
Two shock machines and sticks were also found there, which might have been used to torture people, Mr Kashem observed.
RAB executive magistrate Mohammad Sarwar Alam led the drive at Samrat's office at 1:40 pm that continued for around five hours.
Samrat was awarded six months in jail for illegally possessing skins of two kangaroos as per the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012.
His close aide Arman was also sent to jail in Cumilla as he was found drunk during the operation there.
Mr Alam said several cases might be filed against Samrat for illegally possessing narcotics, firearms and exotic animal skins.
The security agency is going to apply to the court to hold him on remand for interrogation.
Earlier on September 24, the government imposed a ban on Samrat's travel.
Briefing the media, RAB director general Benazir Ahmed said Samrat went into hiding a day after a crackdown on casino was launched.
"Samrat was arrested on a specific charge of his complicity in casino business as his name surfaced several times during our ongoing drive," he added.
Meanwhile, Juba League executive committee suspended Samrat and Arman from president and vice-president posts of Juba League Dhaka south unit respectively.
They were expelled from the posts on allegations of 'anti-social activities', according to a press release issued by Juba League's education affairs secretary Mizanul Islam Mizu.
On September 18, RAB swooped on several sporting clubs which were being used as casinos in Motijheel area.
Successively, different law-enforcement agencies raided several clubs in different parts of Dhaka and Chittagong to dig out casino operations.
They seized gambling equipment, a large cache of money, foreign liquor and drugs from casinos, residences and offices of casino operators.
Lawmen earlier arrested Juba League leader Khalid Hossain Bhuiyan, and Bangladesh Cricket Board director and Mohammedan Sporting Club director-in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan.
They also detained another Juba League leader and tender manipulator GK Shamim and online gambling kingpin Selim Pradhan for their link with casino business.
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