Selim Pradhan, a controversial figure previously linked to the country’s casino scandal, has been officially shown arrested in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with the Gulshan Police Station in the capital.
He has been described in court documents as an active supporter and alleged financier of the Awami League (AL), was presented before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Wednesday.
Acting Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman approved the police petition to show Selim Pradhan as arrested in the case, following a request from the investigation officer, Inspector Md Mozammel Haque Mamun of the Gulshan Zonal Team.
Public Prosecutor Mohammad Shamsud Doha Suman confirmed the development.
The police petition stated that initial investigations and statements from other accused revealed that Selim Pradhan, 52, allegedly financed and advised a banned organisation involved in anti-state activities.
He is accused of supporting efforts to destabilize the country’s sovereignty and internal security by organising groups under the banners of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Awami League factions. For this reason, police sought to show him arrested and keep him detained in jail custody.
According to the case details, on 22 April, a group of people comprising 30 to 35 people staged a protest near Jabbar Tower in Gulshan-1 under the banners of the banned BCL and a prohibited faction of the Awami League.
The demonstrators allegedly chanted anti-state slogans aimed at creating public unrest and threatening national security. Police later detained several participants from the scene, while others fled. A case was filed with Gulshan Police Station that same day.
Selim Pradhan was initially detained in the early hours of 5 September from a restaurant named Nexus Café Palace in Baridhara, Gulshan, along with eight others. Since then, Selim Pradhan has been in custody.
