File Photo: Aziz Mohammad Bhai Collected
Many consider the industrialist a godfather because of the “Bhai” in his name, however, Bhai is only a family title
Business baron Aziz Mohammad Bhai is one of the major mysterious characters who have made headlines numerous times in Bangladesh.
Many consider the industrialist a godfather because of the “Bhai” in his name. However, Bhai is only a family title.
But that does not mean Aziz is new to controversy, as many allegations and cases have been levelled against him in the past, including issues revolving around the share market scam, murder, and drug smuggling.
His father Mohammad Bhai migrated from India’s Kanpur to Bangladesh in 1947 during the partition, and started doing business in Old Dhaka the following year.
Since then, the father became a pioneer of the Bangladesh steel industry, establishing the country’s first steel mill in 1959.
Aziz was born in 1962 in Armanitola. As the family business grew, Aziz as a youth also started his own businesses and kept growing.
The family is the owner of Olympic Industries Limited, and its website still shows the late Mohammad Bhai as chairman of the Board of Directors, and Aziz as a director, alongside other family members.
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In addition to this company, Aziz is the chairman of Ambee Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Ambee Films.
He is also known for playing a vital role early on in the development of Bangladesh’s entertainment industry, with several major films produced by his company Ambee Films.
In addition, Aziz Mohammad Bhai is a lifetime member of the Saarc Chamber of Commerce.
Many say he has his own hotel and resort businesses in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Controversies
Many stories and rumours regarding Aziz and many women, including renowned actresses, still circulate in the media and the entertainment industry.
He was first arrested during the tenure of late president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, but it is said that he was let go after Prince Karim Aga Khan, the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailism, came to Bangladesh and pushed for his release.
Known as a film producer, Aziz is one of the accused in the notorious murder case of legendary film star Salman Shah.
In 1999, his name also came up during investigations into the death of another film actor, Sohel Chowdhury. But the allegations against him could not be proved.
In 2007, Rapid Action Battalion seized 130,000 yaba pills with the paraphernalia and raw materials to make yaba, from a house in Gulshan. Aziz’s nephew Aminul Huda was arrested in the case.
Aziz’s name also came up during the probe into the crime at the time. But the allegations did not stick in that case as well.
In 2018, a special tribunal on the stock markets issued an arrest warrant against him in a case filed for the 1996 share market scam.
Family
A father of five, three sons and two daughters, Aziz has been living in Thailand for a long time.
In his absence, his wife Naureen Aziz Mohammad Bhai has been successfully running a number of family businesses in Bangladesh, including the ones in pharmaceuticals, the iron and steel sector, and consumer goods.
According to “Women on Boards of Companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange,” Naureen is the executive director and managing director of Ambee Pharmaceuticals, and chairman of the company’s Management Committee.
The list, jointly published by the International Finance Corporation, Dhaka Stock Exchange and the UN Women in March this year, also named her as the director of Bengal Steel Works Ltd, Ambee Ltd, AKES B, and The Morning Sun.
She has also been named proprietor of Progoti Printing and Packaging.
