34kg gold seized from Biman flight

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) yesterday seized over 34kg gold and detained four passengers from a Biman Bangladesh flight at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.

On information, the officials searched the Dhaka-bound flight from Dubai (BG-248) and seized the gold from under some of the seats and the washroom.

A total of 280 pieces of gold bars weighing 32.78kg and six gold eggs weighing 1.591kg were seized.  The gold is worth around Tk 26.5 crores, CIID Director General (additional charge) Abdur Rouf told a press conference at his office in Dhaka's Kakrail.

The officials also detained four passengers after the flight landed at the Sylhet airport at 8:35am, he added.

All the detainees-- Habibur Rahman, 38, Sanu Mia, 36, Md Akhtaruzzaman, 40, and Mishfa Mia-- are expat Bangladeshis, the CIID official said. 

Replying to a query, Rouf said gold smuggling in the country has recently increased in the country and they have doubled their vigilance to prevent it.

"Apart from the passengers, staffers of the different airlines including Biman Bangladesh airlines are involved in gold smugglings. Some consignments are recovered earlier from such a place of the aircrafts which are beyond reach by any the passengers," he said.

Filing of a case in this regard is underway.

CIID statistics show they have seized over 383kg of gold in last two fiscal years.