Detectives have failed to stop gold smuggling into the country despite heightened vigilance. The incidence of gold smuggling in the country is very high and it has also become a major route of smuggling out gold into neighbouring India, officials say.
A Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) source said 1.5 tonnes of gold has been seized at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka over the past three years, most coming from the Gulf countries.
India has slapped high taxes on gold imports. Investigators believe it is the tip of a golden iceberg. They say it is bought by jewellers or smuggled into India, the world's biggest buyer of gold. Investigators told the Daily Observer on Saturday that gold smuggling is booming trade in drugs and illegal cattle transaction. Much of the gold was smuggled by human "mules", sometimes inside their rectum. Trafficking networks include airhostesses, airport ground staff and corrupt security personnel, officials said.
The CIID officials arrested two people, including an employee of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, with 12 gold bars, weighing 1.2 kg, from HSIA in Dhaka on Saturday.
The detainees are Omar Faruk, a ground traffic supervisor of Biman, and Kazi Qamrul Islam, a passenger of a flight from Kuala Lumpur.
Moinul Khan, Director General of CIID, said Qamrul had arrived at the airport on a flight of Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur around 4:30am on Sunday.
A CIID team detained the duo in the boarding bridge area of the airport when Qamrul was handing over to Faruk two bundles of gold bars wrapped up with scotch tape, Moinul said.
More than 110 people -- mostly Bangladeshi migrant workers -- have been arrested since 2014 for gold smuggling at the country's three international airports, police say.
Moinul said smuggling networks often included airhostesses, airport ground staff and cleaners and corrupt security personnel. "They have a huge network involving a lot of people," he said.
The country has imposed strict quotas and huge customs duties on gold, effectively choking off legal bullion imports for flourishing jewellery outlets.
Authorities have confiscated half a tonne of gold from five outlets of Apan Jewellers a top jewellers in the country. The Customs officials seized around 500 kg of gold and half a kg of diamonds.
The gold confiscated from the jewellers during the raid has been handed to the central bank and will be sold at auction, an official said. The raids occurred after the son of Apan's owner allegedly bragged of his wealth after he was arrested in connection with a separate high-profile case.
Bangladesh does not have any goldmines of its own, and relies on imports to fashion rings and other ornaments for its booming middle class.
The country has imposed strict quotas and high Customs duties on gold, effectively choking off legal bullion imports for flourishing jewellery outlets.
The local jewellers' association wants the government to allow the bulk import of bullion at a reasonable tax rate.
