Customs intelligence officials have seized six gold eggs weighing a total of 2.728 kg and worth an estimated Tk4.91 crore in two separate operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The seizures followed an attempt to take the gold back to Abu Dhabi after it reportedly failed to fetch the expected price in Bangladesh.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) conducted the operations on Sunday based on confidential information, according to a press release issued on Sunday evening.
In the first operation, a passenger identified as Mohammad Minhaj was offloaded from a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight on suspicion of carrying gold. He was travelling on flight BG-127 from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi via Chattogram, which was scheduled to depart at 7:20pm.
Later, with the passenger’s cooperation, customs intelligence officials recovered three gold eggs weighing 1.364 kg.
In a separate operation, CIID officials recovered three more gold eggs, also weighing 1.364 kg, that had been abandoned in the airport’s boarding bridge area.
The six gold eggs weighed a combined 2.728 kg and had an estimated market value of Tk4.91 crore.
During preliminary questioning, those involved reportedly said the gold eggs had previously been brought to Bangladesh from Abu Dhabi. As they failed to fetch the expected price in the local market, attempts were being made to take the gold back to Abu Dhabi.
The incident has raised questions about whether illegally imported gold is being sent abroad again when smugglers fail to secure their expected prices in the domestic market.
The CIID is investigating the source of the gold, the roles of those involved, possible links to a gold smuggling syndicate and its international connections.
Legal proceedings in connection with the seizures are underway, the CIID said.
