6 held with 14kg gold

The Rapid Action Battalion on Sunday arrested six alleged members of a gold smuggling gang with 120 gold bars, weighing around 14kg, on two buses on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Narsingdi.

The Rab suspects the gold was smuggled into the country, dodging law enforcers and airport security forces.

Maj Rahat Harun Khan, acting commanding officer of Rab-3, said the arrestees received the gold in Sylhet and were supposed to deliver it in the capital in order to smuggle it to a neighbouring country.

At a press conference at Rab Media Centre, Maj Rahat said they had information that smugglers were carrying gold bars on two buses and likewise set up a checkpoint in Panchdona area of Narsingdi.

Three of the alleged smugglers were arrested on a bus of Ena Paribahan and the other three on another bus of Greenline Paribahan in between 4:30pm and 5:00pm, he added.

The six are Jamal Hossain, 22, Tanvir Ahmed, 25, Raju Hossain, 23, Abul Hasan, 35, Raju Ahmed, 30, and Mohammad Alauddin, 32.

They were carrying 20 bars each in their specially designed pockets. They boarded separate buses to dodge the eye of the law enforcers, Rab officials said.

All the arrestees except Alauddin have their brothers living abroad. Together they have formed a syndicate to smuggle gold in the country to send those to India, said a Rab man preferring anonymity.

The arrestees have been involved in smuggling for a long time. Alauddin and Mohammad Abul are the leaders, while the rest four are carriers who would get Tk 14,000 each for carrying the bars, the official added.

Asked about their godfather, he said they are trying to identify and arrest them.