Customs officials arrested a Singapore-bound youth with currencies from five countries worth around Tk45 lakh at the Hajarat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday night.
The seized currencies include 1250 Euros, 78,000 Riyals of Saudi Arabia, 500 Riyals of Qatar, 14500 Dirham of the UAE and 1.82 Ringgits of Brunei, while the detained youth was identified as Saidur Rahman, 28, of Gopalnagar village in Boktaboli union under Fatulla police station in Narayanganj.
Assistant Commissioner Kamrul Hasan of the Customs Department said the attempt at smuggling the huge quantity of foreign currencies was halted by a team of customs officials who were acting on a tip-off. They promptly arrested Singapore-bound passenger Saidur Rahman with the currencies from five countries around 9pm at Boarding Bridge-3.
The Bangladeshi youth aimed to smuggle the currencies to Singapore on a Tiger Airways flight.
After the confiscation of the currency and the arrest of the youth, he was handed over to Airport Police Station and a case was filed in this connection.
Sub-Inspector Abdus Salam of Airport Police Station said the youth was attempting to smuggle the currencies worth Bangladesh Tk452,950,0 by hiding the money in a trolley awl bag.
The arrest was made a day after the customs officials seized foreign currencies worth Tk100,000,0 from the possession of Captain Shakhwat Hossain of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines on Wednesday night. However, the Biman captain was freed after he signed a bond.
Customs officials said boththe Singapore bound passenger and the Biman captain were members of international rings involved in the smuggling of foreign currencies.
It is widely accepted that anumber of unscrupulous officials in different agencies such asairlines, customs and immigration at the airport are involved with the rings involved in the smuggling of gold, currencies and other valuables.
Last week, Rab officials arrested another Biman official and a CAAB official with smuggled gold at the capital’s Moghbazar and Rampura.
In September last year, an enquiry committee identified 17 officials of Biman assuspects in the country’s biggest smuggling operation, involving 124 kg gold at the airport.