Former Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat, an alleged key figure of the illegal casino business in Dhaka, has been sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia in a case filed under the Arms Act.
Judge Md Ibrahim Miah of the Dhaka Special Tribunal-2 delivered the verdict on Tuesday.
The court ruled that the sentence would take effect from the date of Samrat’s arrest or voluntary surrender, as the former Dhaka South Jubo League President has been in hiding since August 5 last year, despite previously being out on bail.
Samrat had earlier been granted bail on 10 April in 2022, by Faisal Atiq Bin Kader, the judge of the First Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka, in the same arms case.
In his judgment, the judge said the prosecution had “successfully proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt,” warranting the maximum penalty under the Arms Act.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Samrat along with his associate and also former Jubo League leader Enamul Haque from Chauddagram upazila in Cumilla on 6 October in 2019.
Later that day, RAB conducted a raid on his office in Kakrail, Dhaka, where they seized a large quantity of foreign liquor, a pistol, and skins of rare wild animals.
A mobile court subsequently sentenced him to six months in jail for illegal possession of wildlife trophies.
The following day, on 7 October, 2019, RAB-1 Deputy Assistant Director Abdul Khalek filed cases under the Narcotics Control Act and Arms Act with the Ramna Police Station.
After investigation, RAB-1 Sub-Inspector (SI) Shekhar Chandra Mallik, the investigating officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet in the arms case to the court on 6 November in 2020.
Trial proceedings began on 16 January this year with the framing of charges against Samrat. As he was absent during that hearing, his bail was revoked and another arrest warrant was issued.
During the trial, the court recorded testimonies from 10 of the 14 witnesses listed in the charge sheet. After the conclusion of arguments on 7 October, the court fixed 28 October for the verdict announcement.
