Dhaka Airport: Over five kg gold seized

Two cabin crew members and a private bank official were arrested along with over five kg of gold in two separate drives at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital early yesterday.

Of them, Sayma Akhter, 40, and Farjana Afrose, 32, are Bangladeshis working with Saudi Airlines. The other, Razia Sultana, 50, has identified herself as a deputy manager of Premier Bank's Kalabagan branch, said Othello Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of customs.

“The crew members were arrested when they were passing through the airport's green channel after landing at the airport from Saudi Arabia around 2:00am,” said Othello. 

“They initially denied having any taxable items like gold, but our female colleagues recovered 36 gold bars, weighing 4.2kg, after frisking them.” 

Sayma was carrying 26 gold bars and Farjana 10 inside their undergarments, said customs officials.

Members of Armed Police Battalion assisted in the drive. Two cases were filed against the duo with Airport Police Station under the Customs Act and Special Powers Act.

In another drive at the green channel, customs officials arrested Razia along with one kg of gold. She arrived at the airport in a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Malaysia around 4:00am, said Othello. 

The value of the seized gold is around Tk 2.5 crore.

Though Razia denied carrying any gold during interrogation, officials found the gold after searching her body, he said. 

Razia claimed that she did not own the gold, but carried it from Malaysia to hand it over to someone else in exchange for money.

Razia is a frequent traveller and has already visited abroad five times this year, said a customs official.

“She used to get Tk 50,000 apart from the travel cost for carrying every consignment,” said the official, preferring anonymity. 

Contacted, an official at Premier Bank's Kalabagan branch confirmed that there is a deputy manager at the branch named Razia. But she is now on leave. 

“You better communicate with the [bank] headquarters for comments,” said the female official, wishing not to be named.

Reazul Karim, managing director of the bank, said, “We will initially serve a show-cause notice on her and take proper actions after investigation.”