Members of Customs Intelligence have detained two staff members of Bangladesh Biman in possession with 40 gold bars at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
The detained, Belal Hossain and Sheikh Kamal, work as loaders at the airport.
Assistant Commissioner Syed Mokaddes Ali of Customs Intelligence told the Dhaka Tribune that the duo were held with the gold bars after they arrived at the airport on a Fly Dubai flight around 9:30am on Sunday.
"Acting on a tip-off that some Biman staff are involved in gold smuggling, Customs officials searched them on arrival at the airport and seized 40 gold bars from their possession," he added.
He said the gold bars, weighing 4.6 kilograms, are worth Tk2.3 crore.
Investigations revealed that at least 23 identified rackets have been actively smuggling gold in Bangladesh. Eleven of them directly smuggle gold and the others operate in the guise of money exchange traders.
Of the 11 syndicates directly involved, seven are based at Dhaka airport, three at Chittagong and one at Sylhet.
Intelligence data suggests that last year, gold weighing around 1,000kg had been seized from aircrafts in various airports of the country.
