Five including Biman DGM arrested for gold smuggling

A Deputy General Manager of Biman Bangladesh Airlines is among five people arrested for their suspected involvement in gold smuggling.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (North) Sheikh Najmul Alam said they were picked up from different parts of the capital late Tuesday night.

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

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.

Officials were aware that such nature and amount of gold smuggling cannot take place without someone from Biman’s ground handling being involved.

Customs at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport found 106 kilograms of gold on a Biman flight that flew in from Dubai on Apr 26.

At a press conference, DMP Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said they planned their Tuesday raid after questioning Majharul Afsar, a cabin crew they arrested and took into three-day remand following a gold haul on Nov 12.

A man named Shafiul Azam controls the smuggling of gold from Dubai while Palash coordinates 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.

“Contractor Palash is very influential. We arrested him in the morning. We’ve not gotten the chance to interrogate him yet. We have some information which we will verity.”

Several other names, including those of flight attendants and Biman employees of various levels, have come up in their investigation, said the DMP joint commissioner while adding that Palash’s wife herself was a flight attendant.

Police said they will take action once they ‘fully verify’ the information they had about other flight attendants also said to be involved in smuggling gold.

As for the possibility of Customs officials themselves having a hand, Islam said, “Everyone whose name comes up will be brought to justice.”

Biman acting Managing Director Mosaddek Ahmed said he came to know about their arrests from media report. “They will be brought under the law if their involvements are proven.”