Online Casino Kingpin Lipu Caught in Satkhira Sweep
A joint team of the Detective Branch (DB) and Sadar Police in Satkhira has arrested one of the country’s top agents of a nationwide online gambling network, identified as Murshid Alam Lipu (28). Known as the “Online Casino King,” Lipu was detained along with another associate, Musaid Alam (30). Police also seized 16 mobile phones and three laptops from their possession.
According to police, Murshid Alam hails from Shibpur village in Mubinagar Police Station of Meherpur district, and Musaid Alam is the son of Matunul Alam of Bamunpara (Khandakar Para) village under Mujibnagar Police Station of the same district.
At a press briefing held at the Superintendent of Police’s office in Satkhira on Saturday, October 11, at around 2:00 pm, SP Mohammad Monirul Islam confirmed the arrests. He said, “A case under the Digital Security Act has already been filed against Lipu at Paltan Police Station in Dhaka. The two detainees have now been sent to court following the filing of another case at Satkhira Sadar Police Station.”
DB sources revealed that acting on a tip-off that Murshid Alam, the so-called “Online Casino King of Meherpur,” had gone into hiding in Satkhira, a joint team of DB and Sadar police conducted a raid at around 10:30 pm on Friday. The operation, carried out at Khadibila intersection on the Khanpur–Bypass route of Sadar upazila, led to the arrest of both suspects from an auto-rickshaw.
During interrogation, the detainees admitted their long-term involvement in online gambling. They confessed to luring people from various social and professional backgrounds into virtual gambling and managing digital gambling platforms. Police confirmed that several devices used in gambling operations were seized during the raid. Investigators also said multiple cases are already pending against Lipu.
Local residents reported that Murshid Alam’s father is a fisherman who once struggled to sustain the family. Despite lacking any legitimate income source, Murshid’s wealth grew rapidly in recent years. Through online casino operations, he amassed millions of taka, owning luxury cars, several motorcycles, and 40 tolas of gold jewelry in his wife’s name, as well as substantial bank deposits.
Further inquiries revealed that Murshid previously worked in a weaving factory in Sirajganj. After returning to his village, he drove an auto-rickshaw to support his family. Earlier this year, he intended to contest the by-election for the position of chairman of Santoshpur Union with the “spectacle” symbol, but the election was postponed due to the country’s unstable political situation.
Law enforcement sources stated that several of these gambling sites and apps, operated from Russia, have spread across Meherpur and its surrounding areas through a network of local agents. Each agent reportedly facilitates illegal transactions worth Tk 30–40 million per month to foreign accounts. A large number of youths from Gangni, Mujibnagar, and other parts of Meherpur are now believed to be involved in running these online gambling platforms.
