Japanese held with 11kg gold at HSIA

Customs officials arrested a Japanese national in possession of 11kg of gold at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday.

The arrestee Kengo Shibata, 43, arrived in Dhaka on a flight from Singapore, Mohammad Sydul Islam, assistant commissioner of customs, told The Daily Star.

Acting on a tip-off, the team searched Kengo Shibata when he was crossing the green channel without declaring any items around 12:40am. They found 11 gold bars, each weighing one kg in his possession, the AC said.

The market price of the seized gold is approximately Tk 5.50 crore, he added.

Shibata has travelled four times to Bangladesh in the recent past raising suspicion at the customs.

A case has been filed with Airport Police Station against the Japanese national.