A Dhaka court on Monday granted a two-day remand to Selim Pradhan, who came under the spotlight in the casino scandal, in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Gulshan Police Station.
Dhaka’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman issued the order following a hearing on a petition filed by Investigation Officer Inspector Mozammel Haque Mamun of the DB Police, who had sought a seven-day remand.
Selim Pradhan had earlier been shown arrested in the case on 22 October.
Prosecution lawyer Harunur Rashid said, “We presented arguments in support of the remand. Meanwhile, Selim Pradhan’s lawyer sought to cancel the remand and applied for bail. After hearing both sides, the court granted a two-day remand.”
According to the case details, on 22 April, 30 to 35 people staged a protest near Jabbar Tower in Gulshan-1 under the banner of the banned organisation Chhatra League and the prohibited activities of Awami League. The accused allegedly chanted slogans aimed at disrupting public order and challenging the country’s sovereignty. Police arrested several suspects at the scene, while others fled. A case was filed at Gulshan Police Station the same day.
The remand application states that Selim Pradhan possesses crucial information related to the case. Intelligence reports suggest he has been funding individuals involved in anti-government and anti-state activities across Dhaka.
On 5 September, Selim Pradhan and nine others were arrested late at night from Nexus Cafe Palace in Baridhara, Gulshan, where police recovered 6.7 kg of lead. Gulshan Police Sub-Inspector Mahmudul Hasan filed a case under the Narcotics Control Act. Although Selim Pradhan was granted bail in that case on 20 October, he remained in custody due to the anti-terrorism case.
Selim Pradhan was first detained on 30 September 2019 at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Following his arrest, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided his residence and office in Gulshan-Banani area, seizing Tk 29 lakh, large quantities of foreign liquor, and foreign currencies.
Two deer skins found at his residence led a mobile court to sentence him to six months in jail under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
The following day, Gulshan Police filed cases against him under the Narcotics Control Act and Money Laundering Prevention Act, while the Anti-Corruption Commission later charged him with amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income and money laundering, for which he received an eight-year prison sentence.
After serving four years, Selim Pradhan was released on bail in October 2023. He later submitted his nomination for the chairman post in Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj, but was disqualified due to his criminal convictions.
Following a political reshuffle, he became the Chief Adviser of the newly formed Bangladesh Republic Party (BRP) in June.
