Khaled’s transition from petty criminal to casino king

Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan was a hired gun of the Freedom Party in 1989. Top terrorist Jisan (now living abroad) brought him into the Jubo League. In due course, Khaled managed to become the organising secretary of the youth wing of the ruling Awami League, shaping a public persona of sheer terror. 

Using his political identity as the shield, Khaled made his fortune in only six years through extortion, tender manipulation and casino business.                         

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has so far traced Tk31 crore of the Jubo League leader's money in nine local and foreign banks. 

The elite battalion says that Khaled has also stashed a huge amount of money abroad. While in police remand, he gave sensational information including his sources of income, political leaders who provided shelter to him, and the names of administration and police officials who regularly took bribes.            

The Rapid Action Battalion is now grilling Khaled for the second time.   

Sarwar Bin Kashem, the Legal and Media Wing director of RAB, told The Business Standard that they have gleaned vital information from Khaled. 

"We are now verifying this information," said the RAB official. 

Sources said Khaled used to be a Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal leader at Habibullah Bahar University College, and then became a leader of the student union there in 1992. He teamed up with Manik and Murad, two top terrorists of Dhaka at that time, and got involved in petty crime. He became the organising secretary of the Jubo League in 2013.      

Police sources say top terrorist Jisan introduced Khaled to the Jubo League. It did not take him long to become a close associate of Dhaka South Jubo League President Ismail Chowdhury Samrat.   

How money dripped into his pocket    

Khaled told RAB about his sources of illegal income. He revealed that he used to get Tk40 lakh per month by running the casino at Young Men's Club. He used to get a further Tk20 lakh per month through extortion on the footpaths. 

Khaled also got Tk3 lakh per month from Muktijoddha Club and Tk1 lakh through extortion at Shahjahanpur fish bazar and the human hauler stand there.  

RAB says that apart from the income from these illegal sources, Khaled also made a huge amount through tender manipulation.           

Govt officials, cops received regular bribes  

RAB sources said he used to bribe powerful leaders of the ruling party and its fronts regularly. Moreover, a number of government and police officials also used to get a portion of the dirty money. 

Khaled provided RAB with many names and specific amounts of bribes during remand.   

For example, Khaled gave Tk60 lakh to Swechchasebok League President Molla Md Abu Kausar in 2015. He also gave Tk5 crore to an influential Awami League leader for a Purbachal Project. 

Khaled gave Tk50 lakh to Dhaka South Jubo League President Ismail Chowdhury Samrat after becoming the organising secretary. Former officials of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) Anisur Rahman got Tk40 lakh while Abdur Rahman and Nurul Huda shared Tk2 crore.             

A top Jubo League leader got Tk10 lakh as an Eid gift in 2017. The list of beneficiaries includes a deputy commissioner and an additional deputy commissioner of the crime division of police, and an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch.   

Built an armed gang to run businesses 

Khaled formed a paid armed gang to run his casino business, control extortion and manipulate tenders.           

Khaled also disclosed many names of his armed gang.    

The armed cadres are — councilor Anis and Rubel at Goran, Dhaka Jubo League ward nine councilor AK Muminul Haque Sayed and his associate Hasan Uddin, Arambagh Club employee Jamal and his cousin Sumon.

Jubo League leader of Dhaka's Goran area Rauful Alam Shuvo worked for Khaled. Khaled told the law enforcers that Shuvo alone has five foreign made pistols.         

His gang also has ward councilor Rizvi, Jubo League leader Enamul Haque Arman alias Casino Arman, Rana Mollah, Kailla Aminul, Onkor, Ujjal Morshed, Casino Bokul, Jakir and driver Jisan. Among them, Kailla Aminul, Ujjal and Onkor are escaped convicts in the Jubo League leader Milki murder case.            

Faijul Islam, deputy director of RAB-3 and investigation supervision officer of the cases, said the media will be given further details once Khaled's remand ends.