A Dhaka court has sentenced expelled president of Dhaka South City Jubo League unit, Ismail Hossain Chowdhury also known as Samrat to life imprisonment in an arms case.
The verdict was delivered today, Tuesday, by Judge Md Ibrahim Mia of Dhaka’s Special Tribunal-2. As Samrat remains absconding, the court also issued an arrest warrant against him.
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court’s Chief Public Prosecutor (PP) Omar Faruq Faruqi confirmed the news to Prothom Alo.
According to the case statement, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) conducted a raid at Bhuiyan Mansion in Ramna area of the capital on 6 October 2019 and based on Samrat’s directions, recovered an imported pistol from there.
In this connection, a case was then filed under the Arms Act. After investigating the case, RAB-1 Sub-Inspector Shekhar Chandra Mallik submitted charge sheet to the court on 5 November 2019.
The charge sheet stated that the seized firearm had no valid licence, which constitutes an offence under the Arms Act.
On 6 October 2019, Samrat and his associate, Jubo League leader Enamul Haque Arman, were arrested in Cumilla and brought to Dhaka afterwards.
RAB then conducted the raid at Samrat’s office in Kakrail’s Bhuiyan Mansion, where they claimed to have found two kangaroo hides, narcotics, and firearms.
Following the raid, a mobile court led by then executive magistrate of RAB Sarwar Alam sentenced Samrat to six months’ imprisonment. Samrat was released on bail on 11 May 2022.
Samrat is still facing two other cases, one filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and another under the Narcotics Control Act, both of which are currently under trial.