Anti-narcotics team raids Aziz Mohammad Bhai’s Gulshan home

An anti-narcotics team has seized casino equipment and alcohol in a raid on controversial industrialist Aziz Mohammad Bhai’s home in Dhaka.

The team started the raid on the house on road No. 57 at Gulshan-2 shortly before 5pm Sunday.

“We’ve found casino equipment, liquor, beer and shisha,” said Khurshid Alam, assistant director at the Department of Narcotics Control.

The DNC officials raided two connected buildings on the same compound used by Aziz Mohammad's family. The gambling equipment were found on the rooftop of one of the buildings and “huge” liquor in a room on the third floor of the other building, the officials said.

The DNC’s drive came amid an ongoing government crackdown on illegal gambling, extortion, contract-grabbing, corruption and other wrongdoings.

 

Aziz Mohammad is chairman of Olympic Industries and Ambee Pharmaceuticals.

His wife Naureen Aziz Mohammad Bhai is managing director of the pharmaceutical company.

Naureen and Aziz Mohammad’s relatives live in the two buildings, according to officials.

The special tribunal on the stock markets last year ordered Aziz Mohammad’s arrest in a case over the 1996 share market scam.

He went abroad and had been staying there before the arrest warrant was issued. 

Known also as a film producer, Aziz Mohammad Bhai’s name came up in investigations into the deaths of actors Sohel Chowdhury and Salman Shah.

SHISHA BAR, LIQUOR

DNC detained Md Nabin Mandal and Parvez, caretakers of the buildings.

Nabin said he had never seen Aziz Mohammad in seven to eight years since he took the job.

Parvez said he was in charge of taking care of the third floor, but never entered the room where the liquor was found.

DNC Additional Director Fazlur Rahman said Aziz Mohammad’s nephew Omar Mohammad Bhai was running a shisha bar on the rooftop of one of the buildings.

Some bottles of liquor were also found in Omar’s flat.

Aziz Mohammad’s sisters Sakhina Mir Ali and Noorjahan Huda live in the other building.

During the raid, Sakhina came out of one of the flats and told reporters that she did not know about the liquor and shisha in the house.

Aziz Mohammad owns the flat where the liquor was found, DNC official Fazlur said.

Owners face charges under narcotics control law if illegal liquor or drugs are found in their home, he added.