Casino kingpin Samrat admits to selling Jubo League positions

Casino kingpin Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat has admitted to selling five Jubo League leadership positions to individuals recommended by underworld godfathers.

According to knowledgeable sources, during interrogation Samrat revealed in-depth information relating to his involvement in a variety of illegal activities, including casino business, selling party positions, extortion, land-grabbing and sheltering criminals.

A Dhaka court placed Samrat on a 10-day remand in two separate cases filed under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act on Tuesday. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) took custody of Samrat from the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police the same day.

Samrat sold five Jubo League positions to Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, Shorhad Hossein Shopon, Enamul Hoque Arman, Tarek and Milki, in line with recommendations from the underworld godfathers Zeeshan, Manik, Murad and Palash alias Kaila Palash.

The former president of Dhaka south Jubo League also admitted to making a large sum of money from these deals.

The sources further revealed that underworld godfather Zeeshan and Nadim sought Samrat's help in giving positions of leadership to Khalid and Shorhad Hossein in the Jubo League. Samrat made Khalid organizing secretary and helped Shorhad Hossein become vice president of south city Jubo League.

Godfather Kaila Palash asked for Samrat's help in making Enamul Hoque Arman vice president of the same Jubo League unit, a request the casino kingpin accepted.

Samrat also gave Jubo League leadership positions to Rezaul Haque Milki and Zahid Siddique Tarek. Milki was killed during a terror attack in Gulshan in 2013. Tarek was killed in a so-called gunfight with RAB the same year.

The casino kingpin owns a luxurious apartment in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. He also bought a palm garden in Malaysia for Tk2,000 crore and has transferred a large amount of money to different countries.

The Detective Branch had been investigating Samrat. However, RAB wanted to investigate Samrat and applied to the Home Ministry for permission in this regard. 

Permission was given to RAB on Wednesday to investigate Samrat, confirmed Director of RAB's Legal and Media Wing Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem, who added that RAB 1 has been tasked with the probe.

On October 6, a RAB team detained Samrat, former president of Dhaka south Jubo League, and his aide Enamul Haque Arman, former vice-president of the same unit in Cumilla, after raiding a house near the Indian border.

Samrat came under the spotlight after RAB busted his illegal casino business at various sporting clubs in Dhaka. He was expelled from the Jubo League following his arrest.

Samrat was then brought to the capital. The elite force conducted several operations at various establishments where the Jubo League leader either lived or carried out his political and business activities.