Muhammad Talebur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Media and Public Relations Division, confirmed the arrests in a press release. He stated that a case has been filed against the suspects under the Narcotics Control Act. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Gulshan Zone, Al Amin Hossain, confirmed that Selim Pradhan is the owner of the restaurant.
Selim Pradhan is widely known as a key figure in Bangladesh’s online casino operations. On September 30, 2019, during an anti-casino crackdown, he was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport while attempting to flee to Thailand. Raids on his Gulshan residence and office led to the seizure of large quantities of foreign liquor, local and foreign currency, and deer hides. RAB’s Additional Director General (Operations) Colonel Tofayel Mustafa Sarwar stated that Selim encouraged gambling by selling coins online and laundered vast sums of money abroad.
Sources report that Selim Pradhan took a 100-crore taka loan from Rupali Bank, which he allegedly misappropriated. Investigations by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) revealed evidence of 57 crore taka in illegal assets, with 21.99 crore taka laundered to countries like Japan, Thailand, and the United States. In 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison in an ACC case but was released on bail in October 2023.
Selim Pradhan’s ancestral home is in Rupganj Upazila, Narayanganj. He served as the vice-president of Wanderers Club and was a cashier for BCB director Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan. Allegations against him include running illicit activities at a spa center in Gulshan, illegal stone extraction in Sylhet, smuggling Indian cattle, and controlling a counterfeit currency syndicate along the border. He also owns luxury hotels and a disco bar in Pattaya, Thailand.
Intelligence sources claim Selim Pradhan has five wives: one Russian, one American, one Japanese, and two Bangladeshi. His fifth wife is an Assistant Customs Commissioner at Chattogram Customs House. He allegedly controlled drug and extortion syndicates in Rajshahi and border areas, collecting around 2 crore taka in extortion over two years.
ACC Commissioner Mozammel Haque Khan stated that Selim Pradhan’s movable and immovable assets have been seized, and over fifty bank accounts have been frozen for investigation purposes. In 2024, his nomination for the Rupganj Upazila election was rejected due to his prior criminal convictions.
