Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 21 persons on Saturday night, while they were gambling at a makeshift casino in Dhaka's Ashulia area, on the outskirts of the capital.

The casino was active at Bypile's Kaichabari area, said Mozammel Haque, commanding officer of Rab-4, at a press briefing at his office in the capital's Mirpur yesterday.

The two supposed owners of the casino were not found during the drive, he added.

The elite force seized one electronic casino board imported from Malaysia, 100 yaba tablets, 12 cans of beer, 22 mobile phones and Tk 38,000 from the detainees during the four-hourlong drive.

The arrestees are Azadul Islam (50), Habibur Rahman (47), Liton (45), Billal (38), Abdul Alim (35), Ekhlas (35), Rubel Mia (33), Maidul Islam (32), Sohel Molla (32), Asadul Islam (30), Jewel (28), Sabuj Miah (28), Sharif (28), Moin Miah (28), Roni Bhuiyan (25), Rabiul Molla (24), Fazle Rabbi (22), Abu Taleb (20), Didarul Islam (20), Shipon (20) and Masud Rana (20).

According to Rab-4, during primary interrogation, the arrestees admitted to their involvement in gambling. Cases are being filed against them under the gambling act.

Replying to a question, Rab-4 Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Sajedul Islam claimed that two persons, Biplob and Hasan, were running the casino. Their houses were raided on Saturday too, but they were not there. The search for them will continue.

While visiting the site yesterday noon, this correspondent talked to several locals to know who ran the operation, but no one agreed to speak openly.

Amir Hossen, owner of a rickshaw garage next to the gambling spot, told The Daily Star that the perpetrators rented the spot from one Harun Mondol.

Eklash, one of the arrestees, built a tin-shed room there, after getting permission from the landlord. They had been running a business surrounding the tabletop game carrom for the last one year. Fifteen days ago, two unknown persons brought the casino board to the tin-shed room.

Contacted, Harun Mondol confirmed that the property is their paternal land, but he did not know about the gambling.