Customs seizes Tk 45 million in gold found on SalamAir flight

The smuggled gold was found on board a flight from Oman’s Muscat after it landed in Dhaka

The Customs Intelligence & Investigation Directorate has seized Tk 45 million worth of gold after searching a SalamAir flight from Oman’s Muscat that landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

However, no arrests were made in connection with the seizure.

CIID Assistant Director Pradeep Kumar Sarkar confirmed the incident on Wednesday morning.

Customs personnel took up positions at the airport based on a tip-off received by the director general of customs intelligence. A SalamAir flight (OV-497) from the Omani capital landed in Dhaka around 5:30am.

A search of the flight revealed two heavy objects wrapped in black Scotch tape abandoned on an overhead luggage rack on the aeroplane’s cabin.

The objects were brought to the inventory table at the airport’s Customs Hall and opened in the presence of various agencies. They yielded 38 gold bars.

The gold bars weighed 4.42 kg in total and their estimated market value is around Tk 45 million.

The CIID official said the seized gold has been deposited at a Dhaka Customs House warehouse.