Gold worth Tk 5cr seized at Dhaka, Chattogram airports
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Customs intelligence officials seized gold and gold-paste objects worth an estimated Tk 5 crore in two separate operations at airports in Chattogram and Dhaka on Oct 18, according to a press release from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID).
In the morning, officials at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram recovered 466 grams of gold bars hidden inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater. In the evening, they seized six egg-shaped gold-paste objects weighing 2.734 kilograms from two passengers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The objects were recovered from the passengersâ rectums, the release said.
Chattogram:
The CIID said Kamrul Islam arrived from Abu Dhabi on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS350 at 7:00 am. Acting on a tip-off, officials were on alert at the green channel. The passenger declared 100 grams of gold ornaments but denied carrying any other gold, the release said.
A search of his baggage, carried out in the presence of officials from other agencies, found four gold bars weighing 466 grams hidden in the frying pan and the grater. Officials seized the bars along with the declared ornaments. The total of 566 grams was estimated to be worth Tk 98.30 lakh, including customs duties and taxes.
Dhaka:
At 6:15 pm, officials recovered six egg-shaped objects made of gold paste from two passengers arriving from the Maldives on US-Bangla flight BS338. The CIID identified them as Mohammed Solaiman and Jobayed Ahmad and said three objects were recovered from each. The objects had a combined preliminary weight of 2.734 kilograms and an estimated value of around Tk 4 crore.
The CIID said the actual quantity of pure gold and its exact value have yet to be determined. The seized objects will be kept intact to preserve evidence, and tests will be conducted before the gold content and market value are confirmed, it said.
The CIID said it continues anti-smuggling operations through intelligence-led action, close surveillance, and risk-based passenger screening to prevent gold smuggling through the countryâs airports.