The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) foiled an unconventional smuggling attempt at Shah Amanat International Airport today, seizing approximately 1,500 grams of gold from a passenger arriving from Dubai.
The passenger, identified as Mohammad Tusar, 33, arrived on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG148. Tusar, a resident of Dighalgaon, Pipulia Bazar, under Cumilla Sadar South, holds passport number EL0102972.
Acting on a tip-off, CIID’s regional office in Chattogram coordinated a joint surveillance operation involving officials from DGFI, NSI, and Customs House. Upon the flight’s landing, the suspect was monitored and subsequently searched in the customs hall.
During the search, officials recovered gold paste and jewellery hidden inside the suspect’s underwear. The seized items include approximately 1,400 grams of 24-carat gold paste (including packing materials) and five gold bangles weighing roughly 100 grams. The total estimated market value of the seized gold is Tk 3 crore.
In addition to the gold, authorities confiscated the passenger’s passport, a REDMI mobile phone (model 23021RAAEG), and his boarding pass. Preliminary investigations indicate the gold was processed into paste to evade airport security and surveillance.
Legal action is currently being processed under several statutes, including the Customs Act, 2023, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947, the Import and Export Control Act, 1950, the Import Policy Order 2021–2024, Bangladesh Bank FE Circular No-06, and The Special Powers Act, 1974.
The CIID stated that intelligence surveillance has been intensified at international airports to prevent the smuggling of gold and other contraband, and such operations will continue in the future.
