On January 4, 2025, police in Meherpur’s Mujibnagar region conducted a raid on the under-construction garden house of Murshid Alam Lipu, a top agent involved in online casinos, in search of weapons and other evidence. However, the operation proved unsuccessful as Lipu was not present at the time of the raid.

The raid took place around midnight at the garden house, located between Shibpur and Bishwanathpur villages on the outskirts of Mujibnagar. The operation was led by Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman of Mujibnagar Police Station, with a team of law enforcement officers. Despite previous attempts by joint forces in September, October, and December 2024, Lipu has remained elusive.

Lipu is recognized as one of Bangladesh’s leading agents in the online casino business. He is an accused in a case filed under the Digital Security Act on November 14, 2021, in the Paltan Police Station of Dhaka. Following a series of reports in the media about illicit wealth being generated through online casinos, law enforcement in Meherpur has intensified its efforts to combat the illegal activity.

Recently, the Police Superintendent of Meherpur, Maksuda Akhter Khanam, mentioned that regular raids would be conducted against those involved in online gambling. In the past, the joint forces had raided Lipu’s garden house on three separate occasions—first on September 2, 2024, followed by another on October 11, 2024, and a third on December 8, 2024. During these operations, Lipu was not apprehended.

During the September raid, eight individuals were arrested, although they were released after interrogation. In the October raid, Lipu managed to escape, but several individuals were arrested, including Rafiqul Islam, a local leader of the Awami League, and Mohammad Sahriar Azam Parag, a channel operator for online gambling in the region. Authorities also seized several Android mobile phones and narcotics from the suspects. However, the charges against the detainees were limited to drug-related offenses, and they were released on bail.

The third raid in December also failed to capture Lipu. Despite these setbacks, authorities are determined to continue their efforts to arrest him and dismantle the online gambling network he is allegedly leading.

Lipu, who has amassed considerable wealth at a young age, has claimed in conversations through messaging apps that he has faced repeated extortion attempts from certain groups since August 5, 2024, when he left Bangladesh. He alleges that these attempts are the reason for the ongoing police and military pressure against him.

Local media outlets, such as the Meherpur District Press Club, have voiced concern over the need for swift judicial action regarding those involved in online gambling. Tohammel Azam, president of the press club, emphasized that with the administration now taking action, the judicial process should move quickly to bring those responsible to justice. He also suggested that a strong deterrent in the form of exemplary punishment could discourage others from engaging in online gambling.

Furthermore, Azam advocated for the closure of betting apps and advertisements related to online gambling across various platforms such as TV, Facebook, and YouTube. He stressed that unless these initiatives are implemented, the spread of online gambling would remain unchecked.

Mizanur Rahman, OC of Mujibnagar Police Station, confirmed the raid on Lipu’s garden house and the continued search for him. He stated that while Lipu was not present during the operation, they had conducted a thorough search of the property.

The authorities’ efforts to curb online gambling in the region have been ongoing since November 2021, when a special police investigation unit arrested nine individuals involved in a similar online gambling network. Lipu was one of those arrested, and it was reported that he was handling transactions worth up to 10 lakh taka daily through mobile banking agent SIM cards.

At the time, the CID's Cyber Police Center’s Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kamrul Ahsan, explained that the gambling activities were linked to a Russian-based betting website, and transactions were being conducted using mobile banking services. Several agents from Meherpur’s mobile banking institutions were also reportedly involved in the operation.