After its crackdown against gambling dens inside sports clubs in Dhaka, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has raided three clubs in Chattogram.
On Saturday (Sept 21), the elite police unit raided Mohammedan Sporting Club in Sadarghat area, Abahani Limited Club at Halishahar, and Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra on Ice Factory Road in the port city.
RAB Executive Magistrate Nizamuddin, who led the drives, told the media that gambling equipment was found in all three sports clubs.
Gambling equipment was found in all three clubs, he told the media. “Chips, cards and papers were found. Some tables have been found which we suspect were used for gambling.”
Some equipment might have been moved away from the clubs following raids in Dhaka, added the RAB executive magistrate.
Around 7pm in the evening, three separate RAB teams cordoned off the clubs and carried out simultaneous raids, Mahmudul Hasan Mamun, the assistant director (media) for RAB-7, told Bangla Tribune.
On Friday (Sept 20), police raided a club called 'Hangout’ at the port city's Almas intersection. The club owner's son and a staffer were arrested on charges of running ‘unauthorised’ pool and snooker games.
On Wednesday (Sept 18,) RAB raided four clubs in Dhaka, including Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club, and the home of its President and Dhaka Metropolitan Jubo League leader Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan, who was later expelled by the organisation.
It also seized a huge amount of money, counterfeit currencies, drugs and gambling equipment in raids on the Wanderers Club in Fakirerpool, Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra in Gulistan and Golden Dhaka Bangladesh in Banani’s Ahmed Tower the same day.
As part of the government's crackdown on illegal casinos, security forces on Friday arrested Shafiqul Alam Firoz, the president of Dhaka’s Kalabagan Krira Chakra and four others in a raid on the sports club.