Smuggled 259kg bullion sent to BB coffers

Bangladesh Bank (BB) added 259kg of smuggled gold to its foreign currency reserve, reports BSS.

The central bank has collected the gold, which had been seized on different occasions in the country, at the international market price to strengthen the base of foreign currency reserve.  In addition, the BB has kept additional 273kg of gold in its vault temporarily.

Meanwhile, some seized gold has been sold through auction while many owners have got back their gold through the court paying duty and other charges.

Talking to the news agency, Saiful Islam Khan, General Manager of BB Motijheel Office, said the seized gold would be deposited directly in the vault of the central bank if no body claimed its ownership.

Khan said in many cases the owner collected the gold through the court paying duty and other fees.

Sources said the smuggled 105kg of gold seized at the Shahjalal International Airport Saturday would be sent to the BB vault within 2/3 days.

The central bank sources said all the gold seized during smuggling was sent to the BB vault after completing processes. If the there was no owner, the gold would be sold through auction.