A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against Md. Azimur Rahman, also known as Azim Gazi, a resident of Mathbaria in Pirojpur, following allegations of fraud, dowry demands, and misappropriating large sums of money and gold ornaments by marrying a woman living in Finland under false pretenses. According to case documents and relevant sources, multiple criminal cases and court warrants are also pending against the accused in Finland.
On July 13, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md. Mahbubur Rahman of Dhaka accepted the case filed under Section 3 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 2018, and issued an arrest warrant against the accused. The plaintiff holds dual citizenship in Bangladesh and Finland and has been residing in Finland for a long time. She stated that they met in November 2024, when Azimur Rahman introduced himself as unmarried and a former military member, proposing marriage. He later coerced her into marriage by exploiting her emotions, applying psychological pressure, and threatening suicide.
They were married on January 9, 2025, at a kazi office in Mirpur, Dhaka.
According to the lawsuit, the accused systematically took money from the plaintiff under various pretexts, such as loans, assistance, and future planning, both while in Bangladesh and in preparation for moving to Finland. Money was repeatedly taken for visa processing, airfare, hotel accommodations, driving lessons, a hotel management course, family expenses, land matters, business ventures, his mother’s medical treatment, and other personal needs. The plaintiff claims that a total of approximately BDT 9 million was handed over to the accused through bank transactions, mobile financial services, cash, and intermediaries, with substantial financial records of these transactions reportedly in her possession. Before moving to Finland, the accused also took 27 bhori of gold ornaments from the plaintiff’s family, which were never returned despite requests.
After relocating to Finland, the accused allegedly demanded BDT 200 million to construct a royal house in Mathbaria, Pirojpur, and BDT 80 million to set up a pub in Finland. Most recently, on June 20, he demanded BDT 4.2 million as dowry to set up a farm in Bangladesh, prompting the plaintiff to file the lawsuit in Dhaka. When the plaintiff refused to meet further financial demands, she was reportedly subjected to physical and mental torture, including an attempted choking. She called emergency services, leading Finnish police to arrest the accused at the scene.
Based on police investigations, medical reports, and other documents, four separate cases are currently pending against Md. Azimur Rahman in Finland. These include charges of violence against women and children, marriage fraud to gain entry into Europe, forced extortion, failure to provide maintenance, marital rape supported by medical certificates, and immoral behavior in front of a child. Finnish police are actively searching for him, and he is reportedly under European law enforcement surveillance, facing legal actions and a potential ban from the Schengen Area. Following news of the arrest warrant issued in Bangladesh, the accused is reportedly attempting to flee to Canada.
The plaintiff further claims that without divorcing her, the accused is posing as an unmarried man to build relationships with other women, lure them into marriage for financial gain, and conceal his prior marriages. The lawsuit names the accused’s mother Mst. Kohinur Begum, brother Md. Arifur Rahman working at Jamuna Bank in Barishal, sister-in-law Lita a Bangla teacher at Monipur College, sister Ruma, and brother-in-law Zakir, alleging they were informed of his actions but chose to support him rather than intervene. The victim and her child are currently suffering from severe psychological trauma, depression, and insecurity, undergoing medical treatment and therapy in Finland. Multiple attempts to contact Md. Azimur Rahman for a statement proved unsuccessful as his mobile phone remained switched off.
