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Construction mogul busted as Crackdown continues

GK Shamim, a contractor known to be a Jubo League leader, brings out bundles of money after being detained by Rab at his office in the city’s Niketon yesterday. The elite force says he was held for his alleged involvement in extortion and tender business.

GK Shamim, a contractor known to be a Jubo League leader, brings out bundles of money after being detained by Rab at his office in the city’s Niketon yesterday. The elite force says he was held for his alleged involvement in extortion and tender business.

Rab members yesterday arrested SM Golam Kibria Shamim, a top  government-listed contractor who is known to be a Jubo League leader, on  charges of extortion and tender business.

The elite force raided  his house and office in city’s Niketon in the morning and seized  eight firearms, a huge amount of ammunition, Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR)  worth Tk 165 crore and around Tk 1.8 crore in cash, a large stash of US  and Singaporean dollars and some foreign liquor, said officials.  

Seven of his armed bodyguards were also arrested.

Shamim,  also known as GK Shamim, is known to be an influential contractor of  the Public Works Department and other government organisations.   

Soon  after his arrest, social media was flooded with photos where he is seen  alongside senior Awami League leaders, ministers and former and current  police and Rab officials.  

But Awami League and Jubo League leaders were quick to disown him.

Some  central Jubo League leaders said Shamim, 50, had no post in the youth  front of the ruling party. They said Shamim was in fact the  vice-president of Narayanganj Awami League. But AL leaders in  Narayanganj said he was a nobody in their committee.    

Shafaeth  Hossain, marketing manager of his firm, GKB & Company (Pvt)  Limited, told The Daily Star they were handling 15 big construction  projects of the government at the moment involving around Tk 3,000  crore.  

The projects include construction of the Rab  Headquarters in Ashkona, the Revenue Building in Agargaon, the Artha  Building and two 25-storey buildings at the secretariat, the National  Institute of Traumatology Orthopedic and Rehabilitation, the Neuro  Science Building, and the NGO Foundation in Agargaon, he added.    

“We  raided the house of GK Shamim as we had information that he accumulated  some money and was involved in extortion and tender grabbing,” said  Sarwar-Bin-Kashem, director (Legal and Media) of Rab after the drive. 

Rab  Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam said they had specific information of  his involvement in money laundering and tender grabbing by brandishing  firearms. 

His arrest came just two days after Jubo League Dhaka  (South) Organising Secretary Khaled Mahmud Bhuiyan was held from his  Gulshan home for running a casino at a football club in the capital’s  Fakirerpool. 

Shamim’s Personal Secretary Didarul Alam said Rab  members entered the house of his boss on Road-113 in Niketon around  6:30am yesterday.  

Shamim, his family members and four of his  bodyguards were in the house at that time. His three other bodyguards  were also called in. 

“Rab members wanted to see the licences of the firearms, which they produced,” said Didarul, who was also present there. 

Around  10:30am, the Rab members took Shamim to his office on Road-5 in the  same neighbourhood and recovered his firearms, the cash, FDRs, five  bottles of foreign liquor and ammunition. 

Shamim bought the  five-story office building on 4.8 khatas of land for Tk 14 crore in  2017, said Mominul Islam, a former manager of the building.

Shahmim  used to travel on his SUV, escorted by armed bodyguards. His vehicle  was equipped with hooters that are normally used by police and  ambulances. His bodyguards would scream at commuters through  loudspeakers to clear the way, like police would do during a VIP  movement, locals said.  

Of the Tk 165 crore FDR, Tk 25 crore was in his name while the rest Tk 140 crore is in his mother’s name.  

Rab said his mother had no mention able business. 

Sarwar-Bin-Kashem,  the Rab director (Legal and Media), said they would investigate the  allegation of extortion against him as well as the source of his income.  They would also look into how he obtained so many firearms. 

Sarwoer Alam, the executive magistrate, said firearms are allowed on certain conditions. 

“It will be an offence if you use firearms breaching the terms and conditions,” he said. 

RAID ON KALABAGAN CLUB 

Rab  arrested five men, including the president of Kalabagan Krira Chakra  Club, on charges of possessing an illegal firearm and drugs. 

As  he was taken out of the club by Rab officers, the sporting club  President Shaiful Alam Firoz told reporters that the firearm and the  drugs did not belong to him. 

Alam is also an executive committee member of the central Krishak League, a body of the ruling Awami League. 

A Rab-2 team cordoned off the club around 4:00pm, said Lt Col Ashique Billah, commanding officer of the elite force. 

Led  by Rab Headquarters Executive Magistrate Gausul Azam, officers entered  the club around 7:15pm. During an hourlong search, Rab found a firearm,  three bullets and 800 yaba pills, he said. 

They also found 572 sets of playing cards. 

The arrestees would be handed over to Dhanmondi Police Station, he added. 

DHANMONDI CLUB SEALED OFF  

Rab sealed off the bar of Dhanmondi Club Limited on the 6th floor of Metro Shopping Mall last night for 24 hours.

Since  the bar was closed yesterday, officers said they could not compare the  quantity of liquors mentioned in its register with its actual stock.

The executive magistrate who led the Rab team decided not to break into the club, said Shahabuddin, company commander of Rab 2.

He added that the bar had licence, but there were allegations that people gambled in it.  

“We warned them earlier,” he said.

Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer Mosharraf Hossain Kajol is the president of the club’s executive committee. 

Meanwhile  in Chittagong, law enforcers detained two people from a club called  Hangout last night on suspicion that they were involved in gambling and  drug abuse.

Police raided the club near Almas Cinema hall around 8:00pm, said Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-charge Md Mohsin. 

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