Bangladesh: 2 held with 7.6kg gold bars at Dhaka airport

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The customs authorities in separate operations on Sunday arrested two incoming passengers along with 7.6 kilograms of gold bars at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital. In one drive, the Dhaka customs arrested Shahinur Alam, 40, with six gold bars on his arrival from Malaysia at about 7:30am by a flight of Bangladesh Biman Airlines. The arrested had gold bars attached to his body parts with anklets during the regular checking, said customs joint commissioner Kazi Mumahmmad Zia Uddin. Meanwhile, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate arrested Monjurul Haque Sumon, 26, after he had landed at the airport at about 9:00am by an Emirates Airways flight from a Middle East country. On information, the intelligence officials challenged Sumon when he was passing through the green channel — which is used by travellers carrying nothing illegal — of the airport in the morning. After searching him, the intelligence officials found 1.6kg gold attached to his waist belt. Sumon is from Chittagong. Both the accused were handed over to the Airport police. CIID director general Moinul Khan said the miscreants were now using Bangladeshi airports as transit route to smuggle out the gold to the neighbouring country, India.