3 held with 13kg gold at Dhaka, Ctg airports

Customs officials seized 51 gold bars weighing 13 kilograms and detained three people including a Malaysian woman at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and Chittagong Airport today.

In Dhaka, the customs official detained Raja Baslima Binte Raja Malik, a Malaysian national following her suspicious movement when she was passing through the green channel, said Jewela Khanam, assistant commissioner of customs.

After searching, the customs officials found six gold bars weighing six kilograms worth Tk 3 crore from her body. She landed at the airport around 12:10pm by a Malaysian aircraft, Khanam added.

The officials could not grill her as the woman can speak only in Malay language.

In another drive, the customs officials arrested Mizanur Rahman with two kilograms of gold worth around Tk 1 crore in the same area of the airport, the official further said.

Mizanur arrived at the airport from Italy by a flight of Bangladesh Airlines around 2:30pm.

In Chittagong, the customs officials detained one Badiul Alam and seized 45 gold bars weighing 5.8 kilogram from his possession.

The gold bars were stashed at different parts of his body, Shahdat Jamil, assistant commissioner of the Chittagong customs said.

Following suspicious movement of Alam, the customs official detained him while leaving the airport after finishing customs procedures.

Alam came to Chittagong from Dubai by a flight that landed at the airport about 8:20pm.

The customs officials seized Alam’s passport that shows he has visited Dubai three times in span of a month, the customs official added.

The market value of the gold is estimated around Tk5.25 crore, the official added.