Attempts to smuggle mobile phones through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka without paying customs duties are on the rise, with both Bangladeshi and foreign passengers increasingly resorting to sophisticated tactics to evade taxes.
According to data from airport customs, a total of 1,424 mobile phones were seized over the past six months as passengers tried to illegally bring them into the country.
Most of the confiscated devices were high-end iPhones and Samsung models.
Md Iftekhar Alam Bhuiyan, deputy commissioner of the customs preventive team at the airport, said mobile phones were taxable items and that passengers could legally bring them in after declaring them at customs and paying the required duties.
“However, some travellers attempt to smuggle them in through various tricks. These are usually detected during luggage scans and body searches, after which the items are returned to the owners following proper customs clearance,” he added.
The official said passengers were allowed to bring in two mobile phones tax-free and an additional one upon payment of duty, making a total of three phones per person.
“But we often find individuals bringing five or even 10 phones. In such cases, we release up to three and confiscate the rest. If the passenger secures approval from the BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) and pays the applicable taxes, the seized phones may be returned. However, such approvals are rare, so most confiscated phones remain in customs custody,” he told this correspondent.
According to Barun Das, an official at Customs House, Dhaka, 1,424 mobile phones were seized between October last year and March this year.
Of these, 167 phones were seized in March, 83 in February, 186 in January, 303 in December, 220 in November and 465 in October.
Customs officials said smugglers often concealed phones in creative ways – inside luggage, household items or even taped to various parts of the body.
They added that along with local passengers, some Chinese nationals had also been found involved in the smuggling attempts.
One such case occurred on April 18, when officials recovered 10 mobile phones from a Chinese passenger during a body search.
The phones were wrapped in different parts of his body using tape.
Officials said most of the seized phones were high-end ones like iPhones and Samsung phones, each worth over Tk1 lakh in the Bangladeshi market.
Dhaka Customs House Commissioner Md Zakir Hossain said surveillance had been increased at the airport to prevent such smuggling.
“We have instructed our officers to be vigilant in both arrival and departure areas,” he added.
“We have declared zero tolerance for smuggling. There is no scope to bring illegal goods into the country, and no taxable item can leave the airport without a proper declaration.”
In response to a query, he said customs constantly discouraged passengers from bringing illegal or prohibited imports.
The top customs official also mentioned that awareness campaigns were being run on social media to inform travellers.
