Dhaka:Customs officials seized diamond-studded gold and platinum jewelry, along with precious stones, worth an estimated Tk 2.7 crore from a passenger arriving from Kolkata at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the incident occurred on Sunday evening when MD Jony Rahman was caught crossing the green channel without declaring his baggage. The customs officials, acting on a tip-off about possible gold smuggling, closely monitored the situation at various airport points.
During the baggage scanning process, officials spotted metal objects hidden inside a jar of pickles. Upon further inspection, the jewelry and other items were discovered, having been brought into the country without proper declaration.
The confiscated items included 389 diamond-studded gold rings weighing 478 grammes, 151 diamond-studded platinum rings weighing 450 grammes, three pieces of diamond-studded white gold weighing six grammes, two diamond-studded silver rings weighing eight grammes, five diamond-studded gold lockets weighing four grammes, and a diamond-studded gold chain weighing five grammes.
Additionally, customs officials seized 472 diamond-studded gold nose pins weighing 103 grammes, loose diamonds totaling 45 carats, 720 pieces of topaz, ruby, and other stones, as well as 23 jewelry certificate cards. The total weight of these seized items was reported as 1,054 grammes, with an estimated market value of Tk 2.7 crore based on jewelry certification.
The preventive team from Dhaka Customs House has filed a criminal case against Jony Rahman with the relevant police station.