Biman DGM, four others face grilling over gold smuggling

A deputy general manager of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and four others will be questioned for four days in police custody over their suspected ties to gold smuggling.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 19 Nov 2014, 12:10 PM
Updated : 20 Nov 2014, 04:07 PM

They are Biman DGM Emdad Hossain, Flight Captain Shahidullah, Schedule in-charge Tozzamel Haque, Uttara’s Farhan Money Exchange owner Harun-ur-Rashid and Biman contractor Mahmudul Haque Palash.

Metropolitan Magistrate Erfan Ullah gave the order after they five were produced in Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Detective Branch Senior Assistant Commissioner Minhazur Rahman had sought 10 days to question each after showing them arrested in a case.

Lawyer Kazi Nazibulla Hiru was there to represent the accused men.

The five were arrested in raids at Bashundhara, Uttara and in areas around Dhaka airport late Tuesday night.

It followed the questioning of Biman cabin crew Majharul Afsar, arrested with 2.6 kilograms of gold and six iPads from a flight by the flag carrier on Nov 12.

Customs intelligence had filed the case at the Airport Police Station under the Special Powers Act after Afsar’s arrest. The five detained later have been shown arrested in that case by Detective Branch.

Afsar provided a confessional testimony after three days in remand and police said the information he provided during questioning led to Tuesday’s arrest.

Gold mules have been caught at Dhaka and Chittagong airports almost regularly for the past couple of years, but this was the first instance of high-ranking officials being arrested.

Customs officials have been seizing smuggled gold on passengers, hidden in their belongings, strapped under plane seats, abandoned at restrooms inside the aircraft or at the airports.

DMP Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam, speaking at a press meet on Wednesday, said a man named Shafiul Azam controls the smuggling of gold from Dubai while Palash, dubbed ‘very influential’, coordinated their activities.

Foreign exchange trader Harun-ur-Rashid used to handle the finances and Biman flight captains along with relevant officials were put in charge of making sure the gold passed through airport customs without hassle.

The accused may get 14 years behind bars if the charges against them were proven, Director General of Customs Intelligence, Moinul Khan told bdnews24.com.