Two held with 12kg gold

Two men have been detained in Dhaka -- one in Shahjalal airport and the other in Kamalapur railway station -- with a total of 12 kg contraband gold, police say.

The gold is valued at around TK 60.5 million at current market prices.

Customs officials seized around 7.5 kg gold from a passenger who flew in from Malaysia on Friday morning.

Shahjalal Customs Intelligence Director General Moinul Khan said they detained 'Al-Amin' for trying to smuggle in the consignment valued at around Tk 36.5 million.

A youth was detained from the Kamalapur Railway Station with 4.5 kg contraband gold, also on Friday.

Md Shaheen, 27, who came from Chittagong on inter-city 'Turna Nishitha' on Friday morning, was carrying 40 gold bars.

Railway police OC, Md Abdul Majid, said they detained him after a tip off.

The gold bars were wrapped around Shaheen's waist.

OC Majid said the seized gold had an estimated market value of Tk 24 million.

It was not immediately clear whether both were part of the same smuggling racket.

Bangladesh has witnessed a recent spurt in gold smuggling with Customs officials saying much of it was going to India via Bangladesh.