42 kg gold seized at Dhaka airport, 4 held

In separate drives, customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport seized 42 kg of gold and arrested four passengers Sunday.
Of them, two -- Sharif, 28, and Mohammad Ali, 30 –– were arrested along with 270 gold bars weighing about 32 kg while Iqbal was held with 5.83 kg gold and Amirul Islam along with 4.3 kg gold, according to a news agency.
 Joint Commissioner (Customs) Kazi Ziauddin said they had information that a large quantity of gold consignment was coming by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Bangkok.
Based on the information, they detained two passengers –– Sharif, 28, and Mohammad Ali, 30, –– while they were getting down from the flight of the national flag carrier that landed at the airport at about 2:55 pm, he said.
Later, the customs vigilance team conducted a search inside the aircraft along with the two passengers. During the search, they found the gold bars under a seat and in a toilet at about 4:40 pm.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Umme Nahida Akther of Customs Intelligence said Iqbal landed at the airport by a flight of Qatar Airlines from Dubai around 2:30 am.
When he was crossing the Green Channel, customs officials challenged him and recovered 50 gold bars weighing 5.83 kgs from his possession.
In another incident, customs officials arrested Amirul Islam along with 4.3 kgs of gold at Customs Lounge of the airport.
He landed at the airport by a flight of Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur around 12 am.
Besides, officials of customs intelligence seized 294 cartons of illegal foreign cigarettes from an abandoned luggage at the airport. None was arrested in this connection.
42 kg gold seized at Dhaka airport, 4 held
In separate incidents, customs officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport seized 42 kg of gold and arrested four passengers Sunday.
Of them, two -- Sharif, 28, and Mohammad Ali, 30 –– were arrested along with 270 gold bars weighing about 32 kg while Iqbal was held with 5.83 kg gold and Amirul Islam along with 4.3 kg gold, according to a news agency.
 Joint Commissioner (Customs) Kazi Ziauddin said they had information that a large quantity of gold consignment was coming by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Bangkok.
Based on the information, they detained two passengers –– Sharif, 28, and Mohammad Ali, 30, –– while they were getting down from the flight of the national flag carrier that landed at the airport at about 2:55 pm, he said.
Later, the customs vigilance team conducted a search inside the aircraft along with the two passengers. During the search, they found the gold bars under a seat and in a toilet at about 4:40 pm.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Umme Nahida Akther of Customs Intelligence said Iqbal landed at the airport by a flight of Qatar Airlines from Dubai around 2:30 am.
When he was crossing the Green Channel, customs officials challenged him and recovered 50 gold bars weighing 5.83 kgs from his possession.
In another incident, customs officials arrested Amirul Islam along with 4.3 kgs of gold at Customs Lounge of the airport.
He landed at the airport by a flight of Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur around 12 am.
Besides, officials of customs intelligence seized 294 cartons of illegal foreign cigarettes from an abandoned luggage at the airport. None was arrested in this connection.