Police from Damkura police station of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) arrested two men in the Shitlai area at about 4am on 5 November 2026 on accusations of online gambling and betting. The RMP announced the arrests in a press release from its media wing on 6 November, and the case was reported that day by the Bangla daily Jugantor and the Rajshahi news portal Padmatimes24.
What happened
- The arrests. According to both outlets, a team from Damkura police station carried out the raid in Shitlai before dawn on 5 November. The two men arrested are aged 27 and 26. A third man, aged 35, whom Padmatimes24 describes as their associate, ran away during the raid.
- Seizures. Police seized five phones and a private car, Jugantor and Padmatimes24 report. One of the men had three smartphones and a button phone, which held seven SIM cards, two numbers linked to bKash and Nagad accounts, four online gambling and betting user accounts and two apps. The other man's smartphone held two SIM cards, three numbers linked to bKash and Nagad accounts, three online gambling user accounts and three apps. Neither report names the apps.
- Questioning. In initial questioning, the two told police that they had gambled online for a long time with the man who escaped, using various apps and websites, according to both reports.
- Legal action. A case was filed against the two at Damkura police station under the Gambling Prevention Act, and they were sent to jail through the court. Police said efforts to arrest the third man were continuing.
Why it matters
In this case police found online gambling accounts and numbers linked to mobile financial service (MFS) accounts on the same phones. MFS payments have featured in other recent cases too: on 10 November, Lalmonirhat's Detective Branch arrested seven people in Kaliganj over gambling through apps and payments through bKash and Nagad, and on 5 November the CID said it had arrested a Khulna MFS agent accused of renting out his agent SIM for gambling transactions. MFS accounts used for gambling payments have also been the target of BFIU account freezes this year.
Since the Gambling Prevention Act 2026 came into force on 1 July, online gambling offences carry up to five years in prison or a Tk 1 crore fine, The Business Standard reported. Our guide to the law on online gambling in Bangladesh explains what the Act covers.
Sources
- Jugantor (Bangla), 6 November 2026
- Padmatimes24 (Bangla), 6 November 2026
- The Business Standard, 2 July 2026
Written by
Editorial team
The BestCasinosBD editorial team writes and fact-checks every page. It checks bonus, licence and payment claims against operators' own public pages and official sources, and records the date of each check.