Mufti Mamunur Rashid Qasemi, founder of the Sharia-based Adarsh Nikah Bureau and consultant of the Ideal Marriage Bureau, was arrested from his home in Atibazar, Dhaka, around 3 p.m. on Sunday (November 23). Keraniganj Model Police Station OC Monirul Haque confirmed the arrest, stating that a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act was filed the day before yesterday by his wife, Tamanna Hatun, through her aunt, Anna Parveen. Qasemi is currently in police custody.
The arrest follows allegations made on October 16 from a Facebook account named “Tamanna Hatun,” where a woman identifying herself as Qasemi’s third wife accused him of exploitation and abuse. She stated that she had been living with him for a year through a verbal marriage after paying him Tk 10,000. She alleged that the Ideal Marriage Bureau arranged short-term “contact marriages” between women and wealthy men while publicly claiming to help vulnerable women build families.
She further alleged that Qasemi divorced her during an argument but continued an illicit relationship with her, which led to a pregnancy. She said Qasemi called the pregnancy “illegitimate” and pressured her to terminate it, claiming it would harm both of them. According to her statement, Qasemi and his brother-in-law’s first wife forced her to take medicine, causing her to lose the pregnancy. She claimed that three days later, Qasemi went to Kushtia and married a 13-year-old girl, a marriage he “has not published online yet.”
The woman said she went to her uncle’s home after being thrown out and later filed a case on October 14, 2025. She also alleged that her stepfather, Imam Uddin, threatened her mother, saying he would divorce her if the victim spoke publicly. She added that she previously posted positive content about Qasemi from the same Facebook ID, believing she was supporting meaningful work, until she realized women were being deceived and harmed. She stated she intends to provide full details to the administration regarding “the false case he filed.”
Police have not given further information as the investigation is ongoing.
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