2 held with 32 gold bars at Dhaka airport

Customs officials today detained two persons including a driver of US-Bangla Airlines with 32 gold bars weighing over three kilogrammes at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The detainees are Md Mohsin Chowdhury, 47, of Fatikchhari upazila of Chittagong, and Md Arifuzzaman Palash, 33, of Kushtia, said Othello Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Customs House.

Acting on a tip-off, the preventive team of Dhaka Customs House challenged Mohsin, who came from Oman by a flight of US-Bangla Airlines around 8:00am, he said.

Mohsin, a business class passenger of the aircraft, who was leaving the airport on a car of the airlines, initially denied carrying the gold, Othello said.

Later, the 32 gold bars worth around Tk 1.86 crore were found hidden under the car’s brake pedal, the customs official also said.

Customs officials detained Mohsin and driver Palash on charge of carrying the gold illegally and further legal actions will be taken against them, he added.