Expelled Dhaka South Jubo League President Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat had no love for valuables like flats, houses or cars, but if there was anything that he was passionate about - it was his irresistible fascination for gambling, says one of his wives.
“He used to go gambling or casinos in Singapore,” said Sharmin Chowdhury, his second wife. But, Sharmin claimed, she had no clue about how Samrat got hooked up with casino businesses in Bangladesh.
Sharmin made the disclosure to a group of reporters when the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) conducted a raid at Samrat's Mohakhali residence on Sunday after detaining the former Jubo League leader.
“My husband, Samrat has been an all time emperor. He did not have a house, other than the one in Mohakhali. He lives in Shantinagar,” she said.
The second wife of the former Jubo League top leader said her relation with Samrat had not been cordial for the last two years, yet, he [Samrat] continues to bear the family expenses.
“He has not made any visits to his Mohakhali residence for the past two years, as he could not climb up the stairs, as he underwent an open heart surgery earlier,” she added.
According to his second wife, Samrat does not own much property.
“He spends the money for the party which he earns from the casino business. And some money, that he used to keep in his possession, was spent in gambling and casino visits in Singapore,” she said.
She said Samrat is used to behave well with everyone.
“Party people admired him a lot. He used to help people,” she said this while explaining how her husband has been as a person.
The wife claimed that she knew Khalid Mahmud Bhuiyan, former organizing secretary of Jubo League Dhaka (South) city unit, and the man involved with the casino, but does not have any knowledge about Golam Kibria Shamim, better known as GK Shamim.
When asked about Samrat's association with joint casino business, Sharmin replied and said that politics changed over time.
“People do not participate in processions without money. He [Samrat] needed money for this and he might have got involved with casino businesses because he was in need of money,” she said.
Sharmin claimed that Samrat had the courage and capacity to organize people for political events, street processions and meetings.
The second wife of former Jubo League leader, however, thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for launching a crackdown on illegal casinos.
Meanwhile, RAB-2 Commander Lt Col Ashik Billah said that they did not find anything in the two-hour-long operation at Samrat's house at Mohakhali, where his second wife used to live.