A Dhaka court on Sunday placed a Biman Bangladesh Airlines staffer on five-day remand after police seized nearly 14kg of gold allegedly being smuggled through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order against Biman Assistant Technical Helper Md Shoaib Kazi Sajib, 31, after police sought 10 days’ remand in the gold smuggling case.
The case’s investigating officer, Airport police station Inspector (Operations) Sharif Hossain, produced Sajib before the court and sought the remand.
Sajib’s lawyer Md Shahidul Islam sought bail and cancellation of the remand petition.
According to case documents and police, a search was conducted based on a tip-off on September 5 on Biman’s BG-148/AJS flight, which arrived in Dhaka from Dubai via Chittagong.
Members of Customs, National Security Intelligence (NSI), Directorate of Forces Intelligence (DFI) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID), among other agencies, were present during the search.
Police said Sajib was behaving suspiciously inside the aircraft cabin during the search. After noticing junior security officers and other security personnel, he allegedly ran and threw gold bars hidden on his body inside the cabin.
A packet recovered later contained 120 gold bars wrapped in gray cloth.
The bars weighed 13,992 grams, or nearly 14kg, and were 24-carat pure gold, police said. Their estimated market value was Tk25.2 crore.
Sajib is the son of Firoz Kazi of Kachubania village under Amtali police station in Barguna.
Airport police filed the case under Sections 25B(1)(b) and 25D of the Special Powers Act, 1974.
In the remand petition, police claimed Sajib was an active member of an international gold smuggling syndicate and had been illegally bringing gold from abroad while evading customs duties for a long time.
Police said his remand was necessary to identify and arrest the alleged mastermind and other members of the syndicate.
