JL’s Shamim, KL’s Shafiqul on 10-day remand

Top government contractor and Awami Juba League leader SM Golam Kibria Shamim and Awami Krishak League leader Shafiqul Alam Feroz were remanded on Saturday for 10 days each in separate cases filed by the Rapid Action Battalion.

Friday’s drives resulted in Shamim’s arrest in the capital’s Niketon and Feroz’s in Kalabagan in connection with arms and drugs cases.

Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Mahmuda Akhter remanded Shamim for five days each in two of the three cases filed against him while his seven bodyguards were remanded for four days each in the arms cases filed against them.

Three cases were lodged against Juba League leader SM Golam Kibria Shamim with Gulshan Police Station and two cases against Krishak League leader Shafiqul Alam Firoz with Dhanmondi Police Station on Saturday.

Shafiqul Alam Feroz was the president Kalabagan Club and a central executive committee member of the pro-AL Krishak League, and he was held with drugs and an undocumented small pistol.

Earlier in the day, the same magistrate remanded Shafiqul Alam Firoz for 10 days in two cases filed over charges of possessing illegal arms and drugs.

The RAB, meanwhile, was conducting raids at Abahani and Mohamadan Sporting Clubs and Muktijuddha Sangsad Krira Chakra in Chattogram since Saturday afternoon.

The RAB’s executive magistrate Nijam Uddin Ahmed said none was found at Muktijuddha Sangsad Krira Chakra save for some gambling equipment.

The Rapid Action Battalion officials, aided by an executive magistrate, on Friday seized Tk 1.8 crore in cash and Tk 165 crore in fixed deposit receipts issued to Golam Kibria Shamim and his mother Ayesha Akhter from the second floor of his business building.

Shamim is the chairman and managing director of the engineering construction company GKB, enlisted with the government.

According to his office staff and a photograph with prime minister Sheikh Hasina hung at the office reception and he was Juba League central unit’s cooperative secretary, besides being Awami League Narayanganj district unit’s vice-president.

However, both Juba League central chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury and Narayanganj Awami League district unit president Abdul Hai denied that he held any position in their respective units.

The third case was filed against Shamim in connection with money-laundering and the case would be investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department.

On September 18, the Rapid Action Battalion, in a sudden crackdown on gambling operations in the capital, shut down four illegal ‘casinos’ in Fakirapul, Banani and Gulistan and sealed those off.

The RAB on September 18 also arrested the owner of a gambling house at Fakirapul’s Young Men’s Club, Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, from his Gulshan house, who is Awami Juba League city south unit’s organising secretary.

Khaled Mahmud was remanded in police custody for 7 days in four cases filed against him.

Transparency International Bangladesh, in a statement, said the drive being conducted over the last few days were encouraging and would raise public expectation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Iftekharuzzaman, TIB’s executive director said, ‘What has been exposed so far out of the actions taken against a few youth and student leaders in the last few days are terrifying examples of deep-rooted corruption in the name of politics.’

‘What has so far been exposed in last few days did not taken place in isolation, and is most likely to be just the tip of the iceberg,’ read the statement.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net