Apan Jewellers' gold, diamond to be deposited to BB on Sunday

Customs Intelligence Investigation Directorate (CIID) shall deposit 13.5 maunds [approximately 503.88kg] of gold and 427 grams of diamonds of Apan Jewellers to the central bank as there are no legal documents for them. The gold and diamonds will be deposited at Bangladesh Bank's vault around 9am on Sunday in the presence of the authorities concerned, said CIID Director General Dr Moinul Khan on Saturday. The CIID, in five teams, had seized the gold and diamonds from Apan Jewellers' Gulshan DCC Market, Gulshan Avenue, Uttara, Simanto Square and Mouchak outlets on May 14 and May 15. After seizing the items, the CIID held a hearing on the matter three times to obtain an explanation from the Apan Jewellers authorities about how the gold and diamonds were imported. However, Apan Jewellers owner Dildar Ahmed could not show any legal documents, leading to the CIID move. The CIID had previously handed over 2.3kg gold, seized from the Apan Jewellers showrooms, to what it called its real 85 owners. Meanwhile, Dildar's son Shafat Ahmed is the prime accused in the much-hyped Banani rape case. Shafat, Nayem Ashraf, Shadman Sakif, Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali are accused of raping two private university students on March 28 at The Raintree Hotel in Dhaka. The CIID is also probing Dildar’s alleged link to gold smuggling.