Jubo League leader held after casino drive

-- 142 held from casino in Fakirerpool

-- 31 jailed for 1-year, 111 for six months

-- Tk 24 lakh, liquor, yaba pills, casino boards seized

-- 3 firearms, bullets seized

-- Another casino in Banani sealed-off

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained 142 people from a casino in Dhaka’s Fakirerpool area this afternoon.

A mobile court of the elite force conducted a drive at Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club around 5:30 pm and detained them, said Sarwoer Alam, executive magistrate of Rab.

The lawmen also seized Tk 24 lakh, foreign liquor, yaba pills, and some casino boards from the club, he said.

The court sentenced 31 of the detainees, including 16 staff of the club, to one year of imprisonment, while the rest of them were served six months of jail time, the Rab official said.

“We will also take actions against all other illegal establishments like this,” he added.  

Meanwhile, another team of Rab arrested the club president Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan, organising secretary of Dhaka (south) city unit of Jubo League, from his residence in Gulshan around 7:30pm, Sarwar- Bin-Kashem, director (legal and media) of Rab, told The Daily Star.

Three firearms, bullets, and yaba pills were recovered from his possession, according to SMS sent to media by Rab.

Another casino in Banani sealed-off

Meanwhile, another casino named Golden Dhaka Bangladesh Casino in Banani of Dhaka was sealed-off in another drive conducted by Rab-1 around 7:30pm, Sarwar- Bin-Kashem, also commanding officer of Rab-1, told The Daily Star.

None was found inside the casino, but there were casino boards, he said.

Drives against such illegal activities will continue throughout tonight, the Rab official added.