GK Shamim, 7 bodyguards jailed for life in arms case

PBC News:  A court in Dhaka has sentenced expelled Jubo League leader Golam Kibria Shamim alias GK Shamim, and his seven bodyguards in an arms case filed at Gulshan police station.

Judge Sheikh Samidul Islam of Dhaka’s Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, handed down the sentence in a packed courtroom on Sunday (Sept 25).

Other convicts in the case are GK Shamim’s bodyguards Delwar Hossain, Murad Hossain, Jahidul Islam, Shahidul Islam, Kamal Hossain, Samsad Hossain and Aminul Islam.

Earlier in the morning, GK Shamim and his seven bodyguards were produced before the court. The judge pronounced the verdict in presence of them in the courtroom.

On August 25, the court set the date for pronouncing the verdict as both the prosecution and the defence had concluded their arguments in the case.

During closing arguments, the prosecution sought maximum punishment for all accused.

On September 21, 2019, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Nayek Subedar Mizanur Rahman filed the case against GK Shamim and his bodyguards for possession of arms.

A day earlier, RAB arrested GK Shamim and his seven bodyguards from his Gulshan Niketon residence at Gulshan-1 in Dhaka. Then the RAB seized Tk 1.80 crore in cash, Tk 165.27 crore worth of fixed deposit receipts (FDRs), alcohol and firearms from there.

RAB also confiscated the firearms of his bodyguards.

Later, three cases were filed against him under Arms Act, Drug Act and Money Laundering Act. In the first information report (FIR) of the case, Shamim was described as “extortionist, tender snatcher, illegal drug and gambling businessman,”

On October 27, 2019, RAB Deputy Director Shekhar Chandra Mallik, also the investigating officer of the case, pressed charges against the accused.

The court ordered trial of the accused by framing charges against the eight persons on January 28, 2020. Ten witnesses submitted their depositions during the trial of the case.