Another haul of smuggled gold, weighing three kilograms and worth about Tk1.35 crore, was seized from a Dubai-based Bangladeshi expatriate at Dhaka international airport yesterday.
Customs Intelligent and Investigation Directorate (CIID) agents at Shahjalal International Airport arrested Morshedul Alam with 26 bars of gold as he arrived on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dubai yesterday afternoon, CIID Director General Moinul Khan said.
The DG said Morshedul, who is from Chittagong, was detained when he tried to cross the “green channel” with the gold bars, dodging customs.
“The CIID officials first challenged the expatriate for his suspicious movement, and found the gold bars after searching his body and luggage,” said Moinul.
He said the detained man was handed over to police after lodged a case with Airport Police Station.
Sources said Morshedul’s passport and travel history show that he travels frequently. The detained man is also suspected to be a member of a ring involved in smuggling gold from Dubai, they added.
According to airport sources, around 60 gangs of smugglers are active in trafficking gold, precious stones, currencies and other valuables through the airport in collusion with a section of unscrupulous officials and employees of different government and non-government agencies.
The sources said around 600kg of gold, currencies amounting toTk500 crore and other valuables worth Tk1,000 crore were seized in the last one year, while more than 950 suspects, including officials and employees of different airlines and customs, were arrested.