A passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi was arrested at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong on Sunday after 566 grams of gold, worth an estimated Tk1.2 crore, were recovered from his luggage.
The gold was concealed inside a non-stick pan, a vegetable blender and a dish rack, according to airport authorities.
The passenger, Mohammad Kamrul Islam, is a resident of Banshkhali upazila in Chittagong. A case has been filed against him with Patenga police station on charges of smuggling gold.
Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer of Shah Amanat International Airport, said Kamrul arrived in Chittagong on a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Abu Dhabi.
During a search at the customs hall, officials found his movements suspicious and proceeded to inspect his luggage, he said.
The search was conducted under the joint supervision of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the National Security Intelligence (NSI) and Customs Intelligence personnel stationed at the airport.
Four gold bars weighing a total of 466 grams were recovered from inside the non-stick pan, stainless steel vegetable blender and dish rack. A gold bangle weighing 100 grams was also found in his possession.
The airport authorities estimated the market value of the recovered gold at Tk1.2 crore.
According to a statement from the airport’s public relations department, the seized gold was handed over to airport customs. Arrangements were under way to hand Kamrul over to Patenga police.