A Dhaka court on Monday placed two airport workers on five-day remand in a case filed over the recovery of 80 gold bars weighing 9.34kg from shoes at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ripon Hossain passed the order after the accused were produced before the court.
The two remanded workers are Manik Mia and Mijanur Rahman.
Airport Police Station Inspector Abul Qayyum, the investigating officer in the case, sought a 10-day remand for the suspects. No lawyer represented the accused during the hearing.
According to the case statement, officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate remained on alert at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday following a tip-off.
They later intercepted and searched the two airport workers on the runway after noticing suspicious movement near an Emirates Airlines flight that had arrived in Dhaka from Dubai.
During the search, officials recovered 80 gold bars, weighing about 117 grams each, concealed inside the shoes worn by the suspects.
The seized gold weighed a total of 9.34kg and had an estimated market value of Tk16.25 crore.
Following the seizure, Ruhani Islam, assistant revenue officer at the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Circle of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, filed a case under the Special Powers Act with Airport Police Station on Sunday.
Investigators said the suspects would be questioned to determine the source of the gold, identify possible accomplices and uncover the smuggling network operating inside the airport.
