Gold bars found in Solar home system batteries

The customs officials had to crush two batteries with a hammer to discover 48 gold bars which were hidden inside.

A Preventive team of Dhaka Custom House this morning allegedly seized 5.56 kilogrammes of gold worth around Tk 2.79 crore and detained two Chinese nationals for carrying them at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Based on a tip off, the customs officials halted and questioned the two Chinese nationals who arrived on a flight from Sarjah while they were passing the green channel of the airport, Othello Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Customs House told The Daily Star.

The two Chinese nationals -- Chen Jifa, 29, and Ding Shousheng, 35, -- at first denied when the customs officials asked if they were carrying any product worth applying duty fee on.

Later the officials found presence of metallic objects in their luggage while scanning which later turned out to be “solar home systems” of Geepas brand around 11:30 am, Othello also said.

The officials then found 24 bars of gold from each of the batteries of “the solar home systems”, the deputy commissioner added.