Jubo League leader Samrat arrested
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Samrat and his associate Arman from Chauddagram upazila of Cumilla early Sunday.
Samrat is Dhaka South unit Jubo League president and Arman Ali is also a Jubo League leader.
RAB legal and media wing senior assistant director ASP Mizanur Rahman said, a team of the elite force nabbed Samra and his associate from Kunjasreepur village in the upazila around 5am.
Locals of Kunjasreepur village said Samrat took shelter at one of his relatives' house in the village. The RAB cordoned off the house since night and nabbed Samrat at early hours.
On September 24, the government imposed a travel ban on Samrat for his alleged link with running casinos at different sporting clubs in Dhaka.
bdnews24.com adds: Samrat went underground once information linking leaders of the Awami League's youth front with the illegal gambling business surfaced.
It came after the RAB busted casino operations in raids on Young Men's Club, Wanderers Club and Muktijoddha Krira Chakra in Motijheel on September 18.
The elite police unit arrested Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, organising secretary of Jubo League's Dhaka south unit, the same day before nabbing Kalabagan Krira Chakra President and Krishak League leader Shafiqul Alam Firoz a day later.
Two days later, the law enforcers arrested contractor GM Shamim, who also identifies himself as a Jubo League leader.
In the wake of Khaled's arrest, Samrat was holed up in his office in Kakrail overnight with his supporters surrounding the building.
Subsequent news reports indicated that he had remained there ever since but it later emerged that his whereabouts were unknown.
A large portrait of Samrat's was found hanging on the walls of Muktijoddha Krira Chakra during the raid. It has been alleged that he ran the casino operations inside the club.
According to reports in the media, Samrat would also take a share of the money from the other casinos in Motijheel.
