CIID seizes gold eggs worth nearly Tk 5 crore

The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) conducted the operations on Sunday based on confidential information, according to a press release issued this evening.

In the first operation, a passenger, identified as Mohammad Minhaj, travelling on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-127 from Dhaka to Abu Dhabi via Chattogram, was offloaded from the flight on suspicion of carrying gold.

The flight departed at 7:20pm.

Later, with the cooperation of the passenger, customs intelligence officials recovered three gold eggs weighing 1.364 kg.

In a separate operation, CIID officials seized three more gold eggs, also weighing 1.364 kg, which had been abandoned in the boarding bridge area of the airport.

The six gold eggs together weighed 2.728 kg and had an estimated market value of Tk 4.91 crore.

During preliminary questioning, those involved reportedly said the gold eggs had previously been brought to Bangladesh from Abu Dhabi. As they could not fetch the expected price in the local market, attempts were being made to take them back to Abu Dhabi.

The incident has raised questions about whether illegally imported gold is being sent back abroad when smugglers fail to secure their expected prices in the domestic market.

The CIID is investigating the actual source of the gold, the roles of those involved, possible links to a gold smuggling syndicate and their international connections, reports UNB.

Legal proceedings in connection with the seizures are underway, the CIID said.