Dubai's 3 Mafias, Arifur in Bangladesh: Female Students Trapped in IT Jobs, Billions Laundered Through Gambling and Hundi

The principal mastermind of this mafia syndicate, Ziaur Rahman (Zia), holds a 50% share, followed by Mohammed Kawsar Elahi with 20%, and Mohammed Masum Bhuiyan with 15% in the Dubai-based company.

Abdur Rahim: Under the cover of luxurious living in the UAE and the live gold rates of Deira Dubai, a massive international online gambling and illegal hundi syndicate worth billions of taka has been operating in Bangladesh for a long time. Ziaur Rahman (Zia), a native of Feni born in Noakhali and son of Mahfuzur Rahman, established this syndicate by acquiring commercial licenses from Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). Meanwhile, Muhammad Arifur Rahman, son of Md. Shahabuddin and also a native of Feni, controlled the local operations on the ground under the guise of a "fake outsourcing business" in Bangladesh.

While looking into the detailed information of "New Bashundhara Jewellery Trading CO. L.L.C"—mentioned in the case filed with Sabujbagh Police Station—the identities of the primary partners of this alleged gold business (Commercial License No: 12*****1) registered in the Deira area of Dubai have been uncovered. According to official Dubai government records, the ownership structure of this company is detailed below:

Ziaur Rahman (Zia): The primary godfather of this syndicate and the holder of the maximum 50% shares in the Dubai company. His passport number is EJ******9, and his previous passport number is BM******8 (Father: Mahfuzur Rahman). Operating from Dubai, his role was to launder thousands of crores of black money belonging to corrupt former MPs and ministers to Dubai and other parts of the world. He has invested these illicit funds to acquire hundreds of bighas of land across various projects in Feni and is currently constructing a 20-story high-rise building in Kakrail, Dhaka. Reliable sources also indicate that he owns a luxurious residence adjacent to Gate No. 3 of the Rajarbagh Police Lines in Dhaka.

Mohammed Kawsar Elahi: He holds 20% shares in the company and serves as the key coordinator for Dubai-Bangladesh hundi transactions. His passport number is A1******8, and his father is Mohammad Shah Alam. To date, he has laundered hundreds of crores of taka through illegal hundi networks and Bitcoin.

Mohammed Masum Bhuiyan: He holds a 15% share in the syndicate. His passport number is A0******1, and his father is Mohammed Nurul Karim, though these details do not represent his true identity. While his identity was withheld in the first part of this special investigative report, the FT team has now obtained complete evidence against Masum Bhuiyan, which is currently in the hands of The Finance Today. An exclusive investigative report detailing his activities will be published in our next segment, exposing all of his fraudulent operations.

Initially stepping into the criminal underworld through illegal arms trading—though he was never caught by law enforcement agencies—Masum Bhuiyan subsequently joined a gold smuggling ring and was previously arrested at the airport with smuggled gold. This hundi and gambling mafia is not only limited to money laundering; he has also bypassed the law by altering his own name and his biological father's name to obtain a fraudulent passport. Furthermore, he has committed shocking fraud and deception against his own mother and siblings.

Muhammad Arifur Rahman: Operating from within Bangladesh, he is the key local agent and the fourth mafia managing the syndicate's ground operations. His father is Md. Shahabuddin. Posing as a "computer or outsourcing businessman," he recruited female Honors and Master's students from ordinary middle-class and poor families to serve as a customer service shield for this criminal venture. The families of these girls had no knowledge of their actual work in Dhaka. The local Union Parishad (UP) Chairman of his village also confirmed to us that he does not know Arifur. Later, when Arifur's father was contacted through local ward member Selim Dewan, he claimed his son was running a legitimate computer outsourcing office in Mirpur. He had absolutely no idea that his own son was a key member of this notorious mafia syndicate.

(Note: There was another former partner holding a 15% share in this jewellery company. However, upon realizing that an international hundi and online gambling syndicate was being operated under the guise of the gold business, he immediately severed all ties by issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and cancelling his UAE partner visa. His name is currently being withheld for his safety and in the interest of the ongoing investigation).

The learned court has granted a 2-day remand for the accused. An analysis of the remand hearing documents reveals that the defense attempted to argue in court that some third party had duplicated their name to create a fake clone portal. However, an analysis of the official Dubai government commercial license shows that the actual masterminds behind the "New Bashundhara Jewellery" license, under which the site was being operated, are these very mafias. Thus, this is not a duplicated or hacked portal, but rather a gambling platform owned and run directly by the mafias. Why the police described it as a "clone portal" in their legal documents remains unclear.

Tragic Reality: Weeping and Shock in Marginal Families
The most heartbreaking chapter of this investigation unfolded when we visited the permanent residences of the detainees to speak with their families and local representatives. They were completely in the dark about this criminal network:

• Arifur's father, Md. Shahabuddin (Feni): Having spent 27 years toiling in Saudi Arabia, this retired elderly father broke down in tears over the phone upon hearing of his son's arrest. In a choked voice, he said they believed their son ran a simple computer center in Mirpur, Dhaka. He had no idea his son was involved with online gambling and Hundi operations.

• Mumu's family (Nawabganj, Dhaka): Former member Selim Dewan stated the family is respected and educated; her father works in a Hajj travels agency. They had no idea Mumu was a shield for the gambling ring.

• Rabeya Bosri's father, Enamul Kabir (Dinajpur): Extremely poor, believed she had an honest computer job to support them.

• Ipshikun Nahar Brishti's family (Mymensingh): Member Mohammad Ali reported her family remains out of contact and isolated, and no specific updates could be found.

Investigation Continues: We will soon publish an exclusive report exposing all the misdeeds of Masum, one of the key mafias. While Bangladesh is marching towards development, these mafias are pulling the country down. Police and media are jointly investigating to dig up the roots of this Hundi, online gambling, and gold smuggling syndicate.