Chattogram:The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials conducted operations at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, seizing gold bars and gold-paste objects with an estimated value of Tk 5 crore on October 18.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, in the morning at Shah Amanat International Airport, officials discovered 466 grams of gold bars hidden inside a frying pan and a vegetable grater. Later that evening, six egg-shaped gold-paste objects weighing 2.734 kilogrammes were found in the rectums of two passengers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The gold seized in Chattogram, including 100 grams of declared gold ornaments, amounted to a total weight of 566 grams, valued at Tk 98.30 lakh, customs duties and taxes included. The gold-paste objects found in Dhaka were valued at approximately Tk 4 crore.
Kamrul Islam, with passport number A13248461, arrived at Shah Amanat International Airport from Abu Dhabi on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS350 at 700 am. Despite declaring 100 grams of gold ornaments, he denied carrying any additional gold, but a baggage search revealed the concealed gold bars.
In the second operation, customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport recovered three egg-shaped gold-paste objects from each of two passengers arriving from the Maldives on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS338 at 615 pm. The passengers, Mohammed Solaiman and Jobayed Ahmad, were identified by their passport numbers A22382650 and A23335562, respectively.
The authorities have yet to assess the exact quantity and value of pure gold from the seized objects, as further testing is required to confirm their gold content. The CIID stated their ongoing commitment to preventing gold smuggling through intelligence-led actions and risk-based passenger screening at the country's airports.