A passenger was detained at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong on Friday after 534 grams of gold, valued at around Tk 1.17 crore, were recovered from his baggage, officials said.
The recovered gold comprised 106 grams of jewellery, 425 grams of gold bars and three grams of gold paste, said Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, public relations officer of Shah Amanat International Airport.
The passenger was identified as Mohammad Hasan Murad, 37, from Noajishpur Union in Raozan upazila of Chittagong.
Murad arrived at the airport about 8:45 am on SalamAir flight OV-401 from Muscat. He was stopped as he was leaving the customs hall after completing the initial baggage screening, after members of the airport’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), National Security Intelligence (NSI) and customs intelligence units found his movements suspicious.
A subsequent search of his baggage uncovered the gold, which officials said had been concealed inside the luggage using a special method.
According to airport authorities, the concealment had initially prevented the gold from being detected during routine scanning. A separate physical search by intelligence officials later led to its discovery.
The recovered gold was handed over to airport customs authorities, officials said.
Customs intelligence authorities are taking legal action against Murad over his alleged involvement in the transportation of the gold.
Khalil said airport intelligence agencies, customs intelligence, airport customs and airport authorities were continuing coordinated surveillance to prevent gold smuggling and foreign currency trafficking.
Authorities are also maintaining increased scrutiny of passengers and their baggage when suspicious behaviour is detected, he said.