Gold bars worth Tk 3.73cr seized near HSIA

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials recovered 1.812kg of gold worth an estimated Tk3.72 crore from a car near the roundabout outside Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka on Monday, reports state news agency BSS.

Acting on a tip-off, officials stopped a vehicle for searching at the roundabout area outside HSIA. The driver, identified as Md Shamim Miah, fled the scene abandoning the vehicle.

With assistance from intelligence officials present at the scene, officials of the Airfreight Circle of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate searched the vehicle and recovered the gold, said a press release issued by NBR.

A subsequent thorough search of the vehicle also led to the recovery of three mobile phones, including a new iPhone 17 Pro and two used phones, Tk 107,585 in cash, a used laptop, eight debit/credit cards of different banks, two driving licences and a national identity card, among other items.

The seized gold weighed 1,812 grams, equivalent to 155.35 bhori. Tests conducted using the gold testing machine of Customs House, Dhaka, found the gold to be 24-carat.

The estimated market value of the seized gold is Tk 3,72,72,892.48, or around Tk 3.73 crore. An inventory of all the items recovered from the vehicle was subsequently prepared at the Customs Hall by officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate.

Legal proceedings are underway to file a case against the absconding driver with Airport Police Station. Officials signalled the car to stop for a search at the roundabout area outside the airport.

The CIID said legal proceedings are underway to file a case with Airport Police Station against the absconding driver and others involved in the incident.