Gold bars worth nearly Tk 20 crore seized at Shahjalal Airport

Dhaka Customs House has seized 80 gold bars, valued at approximately Tk 20 crore, from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The customs authority confirmed the matter in a press release on Thursday, September 3.

According to the release, based on a tip-off, a raid was conducted on a Flydubai flight (FZ-523) arriving from Dubai around 8:45pm on Wednesday. The aircraft was empty when it was searched.

During the search in the presence of officials from various intelligence agencies, 80 gold bars wrapped in black scotch tape were recovered from under seat 19-C. Each bar weighed 116.64 grams, bringing the total weight of the seized gold to 9,331 grams, with an estimated market value of about Tk 20 crore.

The Customs House said the gold was being brought into the country illegally to evade government duties and taxes, with plans to smuggle it out of the airport later. The seized bars have been deposited at the airport customs warehouse.

The authority further said the process of depositing the gold with Bangladesh Bank is underway in accordance with existing smuggling laws. A criminal case has been filed with the airport police station.