Gold worth Tk 5cr seized at Dhaka, Chattogram airports

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 October 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 concealed inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater. Later in the evening, they seized six egg-shaped gold-paste objects weighing a combined 2.734 kilograms from two passengers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The objects were recovered from the passengers’ rectums, the release said.

Dhaka Airport 

Officials recovered six egg-shaped objects made of gold paste from two passengers who arrived from the Maldives on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS338 at 6:15pm.

The CIID identified the passengers as Mohammed Solaiman and Jobayed Ahmad, saying three objects were recovered from each of them. The items had a combined preliminary weight of 2.734 kilograms and an estimated value of around Tk 4 crore.

The directorate said the actual quantity of pure gold and its precise value have yet to be determined. The seized objects will be kept intact to preserve evidence, and tests will be conducted before their gold content and market value are confirmed.

The CIID said it continues to conduct anti-smuggling operations through intelligence-led action, close surveillance and risk-based passenger screening to prevent gold smuggling through the country's airports.

Chattogram Airport 

According to the CIID, Kamrul Islam arrived from Abu Dhabi on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS350 at 7:00am. Acting on a tip-off, officials were on alert at the airport’s green channel.

The passenger declared 100 grams of gold ornaments but denied carrying any additional gold, the release said.

A search of his baggage, conducted in the presence of officials from other agencies, uncovered four gold bars weighing 466 grams hidden inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater.

Officials seized the bars along with the declared ornaments. The total 566 grams of gold was estimated to be worth Tk 98.30 lakh, including customs duties and taxes.