Dhaka:Customs officials have seized diamond-studded gold and platinum jewellery, precious stones, and other items worth an estimated Tk 2.70 crore from a passenger arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Kolkata.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Dhaka Customs House seized the items from passenger Md Jony Rahman after detecting suspicious metal objects inside a pickle jar during baggage scanning at around 830 pm yesterday.
The preventive team and officials on duty during the airport's C shift conducted an operation based on a tip-off regarding potential gold smuggling on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG 396 from Kolkata. The passenger completed immigration formalities and attempted to pass through the green channel without making a baggage declaration.
During the inspection, customs officials recovered 389 diamond-studded gold rings, 151 diamond-studded platinum rings, three diamond-studded white gold items, two diamond-studded silver rings, five diamond-studded gold lockets, one diamond-studded gold chain, and 472 diamond-studded gold nose pins.
Additionally, the seized items included 45 carats of diamonds of various sizes, 720 pieces of topaz, ruby, and other stones, and 23 jewellery certificate cards. The total weight of the seized goods was reported at 1,054 grams, excluding the carat weight of the diamonds.
The Dhaka Customs House preventive team has filed a criminal case against the passenger with the relevant police station in connection with the incident.