Iron fist rule of casino kingpin Khaled

Expelled Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan built his criminal empire after becoming the organising secretary of the party's Dhaka South unit in 2012. 

He sustained his sprawling empire with the liberal use of illegal firearms, large group of loyal cadres and ample political influence. Khaled dipped his fingers in all manners of illegal activities, most notably the casino business, tender manipulation and extortion. 

Soon after Khaled became the organising secretary of Dhaka South Jubo League, his infamy as a notorious criminal spread throughout the capital's Motijheel, Arambagh, Fakirapool, Mugda, Kamalapur, Rampura and Sabujbagh neighbourhoods.

The details of Khaled's criminal empire came to light after Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Assistant Superintendent of Police Belayet Hossain submitted a charge-sheet against him on Sunday, after concluding the investigation.

Belayet Hossain is the investigation officer of a case filed against Khaled under the Arms Act at the Gulshan police station. 

The submission of this particular charge-sheet is the first by RAB in cases filed over the anti-corruption drives launched on September 18 this year.  Khaled was detained the same day. 

RAB 3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Shafi Ullah Bulbul told The Business Standard, "Under existing regulations, investigation of cases filed under the Arms Act must be concluded within 15 working days.

"The RAB followed the regulations by concluding the investigation of the case [against Khaled] and submitting the charge-sheet at court."

According to sources from the RAB and court officials, Khaled established a reign of terror in many areas of Dhaka. Residents of these areas were terrified of him. Khaled ran illegal casino, gambling and narcotics rackets in several clubs in the city, including in the Young Men's Club in Motijheel.

Khaled's cadres ran an extortion racket on public transportation vehicles on the Khilgaon-Shahjahanpur route. The kingpin also extorted large sums of money by controlling the sacrificial animal markets in the Colony Math, Meradia and Kamalapur areas during Eid-ul-Adha every year.

He had also established an extortion racket in the Khilgaon rail crossing area.

Khaled monopolised the tender process of local government organisations, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, city corporations, krira parishads, Water Development Board, Jubo Bhaban, Krishi Bhaban and Water Supply & Sewerage Authority using his firm Bhuiyan and Bhuiyan.

Khaled earned lakhs of Taka every night from his casino, gambling and drug rackets alone. The kingpin built a militia of loyal cadres to control his criminal regime with an iron fist, and his followers had no shortage of illegal firearms.

On September 18, Khaled was arrested from his Gulshan residence over allegations of running a casino in a sports club at Fakirapool in Motijheel. Three firearms, bullets and yaba tablets were seized from his possession at the time of his arrest.

Prior to his arrest, a RAB mobile court detained and sentenced 142 people while raiding the club. They also seized some blackjack tables, slot machines, more than Tk24 lakh in cash, yaba pills and some bottles of liquor the same day.

Later, the RAB also discovered Khaled's "torture cell" near Kamalapur Railway Station. He allegedly used the cell to torture people who would not pay him the money he demanded.

Four cases were filed against Khaled and he was put on remand for 7 days in two of the cases, following the crackdown on illegal casinos in Dhaka on September 19.

The cases were filed under the Arms Act, the Narcotics Control Act and the Money Laundering Prevention Act. 

On September 25, the Detective Branch of Police transferred the cases against Khaled to RAB for a thorough investigation.