A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced former Dhaka South Jubo League president Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat, an alleged kingpin of the illegal casino business in Dhaka, to life imprisonment in a case filed over illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
Judge Md Ibrahim Miah of Dhaka Second Special Tribunal handed down the judgment in absence of the convict as he has been absconding since the beginning of the trial.
This is the first conviction among several cases filed against Samrat on various criminal charges.
Samrat came under the spotlight after an anti-casino drive led by the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) exposed illegal gambling operations in Dhaka’s Motijheel on September 18, 2019.
Following the operation, he went into hiding.
On October 7 of the year, Rab arrested Samrat and his close aide Enamul Haque Arman from Cumilla’s Chauddagram.
Later that day, Rab conducted a five-hour search at his Kakrail office in the capital.
During the raid, the elite force said they recovered a foreign pistol with bullets, 1,160 yaba pills, 19 bottles of foreign liquor, two kangaroo hides and electric devices allegedly used for torture.
Due to possession of the unauthorised wildlife items, a mobile court sentenced Samrat to six months in jail under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
Later, Rab-1 filed separate cases with Ramna Police Station under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act.
After investigation, police submitted the charges to court on November 6 next year.
The tribunal recorded testimonies of 10 witnesses before delivering the verdict on Tuesday.
He walked out of jail on bail in August,2022 and went into hiding after August 5,2024.
