Casino Don’ Selim Pradhan Among Nine Arrested

Gulshan Thana Police have arrested nine individuals, including Selim Miah, alias Selim Pradhan, known as the ‘Casino Don’ of the country, on charges of operating an unauthorized shisha bar and other allegations. The arrests were made in Dhaka’s Baridhara area.

On Saturday (September 6), Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Media and Public Relations Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), confirmed the news in a press release.

Talebur stated, “Gulshan Thana Police arrested Selim Pradhan and eight others from Baridhara on charges of operating an unauthorized shisha bar.” It is known that Selim Pradhan was running a shisha bar in the Baridhara area, and he was arrested from his establishment in the early hours. Previously, during an anti-casino operation on September 30, 2019, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Selim Pradhan at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while he was boarding a Thailand-bound flight. Following his arrest, RAB conducted raids on his residence and office, seizing local and foreign currency as well as a large quantity of foreign liquor. Selim Pradhan, who was sentenced to four years in prison in a case involving illegal wealth accumulation and money laundering, had submitted a nomination for the Rupganj Upazila Parishad election as a chairman candidate last year. However, his nomination was later canceled by the returning officer after scrutiny due to his conviction in a criminal case. Selim Pradhan, involved in online gambling, owns seven companies in Thailand. Additionally, he has conducted “several crores” in suspicious financial transactions through four banks in the United States and Thailand. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) disclosed this information. ACC Commissioner (Investigation) Mozammel Haque Khan said, “For the sake of the investigation, all movable and immovable assets of Selim Pradhan have been seized, and more than fifty of his bank accounts have been frozen.” The ACC Commissioner added, “In Thailand, seven companies owned by Selim Pradhan, including Pradhan Global Trading, Asia United Entertainment, and Tama Home Pattaya Company Limited, have been identified. Additionally, evidence of financial transactions worth Tk 20 crore has been found in Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank under his name.” Furthermore, substantial financial transactions have been traced to two accounts of Selim Pradhan in JPMorgan Bank in the United States.