The imam of the Civil Aviation Authorities of Bangladesh (CAAB) tower mosque at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport was arrested at the airport yesterday morning with 18 smuggled gold bars and $18,240 in his possession.
The arrested was the imam of Civil Aviation Authorities of Bangladesh (CAAB) tower mosque.
Armed Police Battalion arrested Mohammad Aslam Sheikh, 32, around 5am, immediately after his arrival at the Dhaka airport from Cairo, via Istanbul, on a Turkish Air flight.
Aslam was arrested while he was exiting the airport through the gate 3, said Alamgir Hossain Shimul, an additional superintendent of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn).
The APBn official said Aslam had been carrying the gold bars, which weighed 1.8kg and were worth around Tk75 lakh, as well as $18,240 (equivalent to around Tk14.60 lakh) by hiding them inside his underwear.
Although all incoming passengers leave the airport through the entrance gate, the detained had been trying to exit the vicinity through the exit point, thus attempting to get past the law enforcers unnoticed, said Alamgir.
During the primary interrogation, the imam admitted that he was carrying the smuggled gold bars, which he was supposed to hand over to one Tareq, a gold smuggler, and that he owned the US dollars.
The smuggling of gold into Bangladesh has reportedly increased since neighbouring India imposed restrictions on the import of gold.
The incidents of seizure of smuggled gold have recently become rather frequent.
Sources at the airport and intelligence officials said the Indian restrictions have prompted the smugglers to smuggle the gold bars into Bangladesh, though the intended destination is India.
A section of officials and employees at the airports are allegedly involved in the smuggling.
Hundreds of such officials and employees of different government and non-government agencies have been arrested thus far for their alleged connection with the gold smuggling.