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Published : 10 Apr 2026, 12:25 AM
The Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) has detained a man with nearly 500g of gold jewellery and a large amount of foreign currency at Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Mofidul Islam, was apprehended at the Arrival Canopy-2 parking area around 12:45pm on Thursday, APBn said.
Mofidul, a resident of Khulna, had arrived from Saudi Arabia on a Saudia Airlines flight at 10:45am.
He reportedly works as a “Moallem” (guide) for Umrah pilgrims.
According to police, Mofidul attempted to flee upon noticing the presence of security personnel.
During a subsequent search at the APBn office, officials recovered 499.1g of 21-carat gold jewellery and different currencies, including $9,000, 8,501 Saudi riyals, 1,800 Egyptian pounds, 150 Romanian leu, and Tk 80,116 in cash.
The estimated market value of the seized gold is approximately Tk 8.38 million.
Initial interrogation revealed that the gold had been illegally brought into the country by unknown passengers from different nations to evade customs duties.
APBn officials believe Mofidul has been involved with an airport smuggling syndicate for a long time, acting as a "receiver" for contraband.
A formal case was filed against him at the Airport Police Station on Thursday.
Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Rezaul Kabir said APBn remains committed to thwarting smuggling attempts and maintaining strict vigilance against the trafficking of gold and drugs at the country’s main gateway.
