Gold smuggling in the country is continuing unabated even amid ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Gold smugglers are now using land route. Gold enters the territory of Bangladesh from Myanmar before it is smuggled into neighboring India.
There is no record of gold entering Bangladesh through the legal channel, according to sources. The annual demand for gold jewellery is 40 to 45 tonnes.
Recycled gold jewellery is the main source for the traders for making new jewellery. Annually, 10 to 12 tonnes of gold is recycled for making jewellery. The other sources are unknown.
The gold smugglers have a huge network involving a lot of people," Despite heightened vigilance plenty of gold is finding its way onto the black market during the pandemic Covid-19.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members detained three people with 56 gold bars in Ukhiya Upazila of Cox's Bazar district on Thursday afternoon.
The arrested people are Monir Alam, 38, a resident of Sadar Upazila, Mamunur Rashid, 18, of Hoyaikong in Teknaf Upazila and Nur Mohammad, 36, of the same area.
Cox's Bazar BGB-34 Battalion Commander Lt Col Ali Haider Azad said on information, a BGB team
conducted a drive in Katakhali area under Palongkhali Union and nabbed them along with the gold bars.
They were handed over to Ukhiya Police Station after filing a case against them.
Customs intelligence officials arrested a passenger of a flight along with 82 gold bars from Shah Amanat International Airport on Thursday. The arrestee is Enamul Haque hailing from Chakaria Upazila in Cox's Bazar.
Enamul came here from Dubai by a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG-148, said Khairul Kabir, Assistant Manager of the airport.
The officials searched him for his suspicious movement and recovered the gold bars worth Tk 5.74crore which was kept hidden in his body, said the official
BGB arrested a suspected female smuggler with five gold bars from Lakshidari border near Bhomra Land Port of Satkhira on July 16.
BGB) recovered over 4 kgs of gold from Keragachhi border in Satkhira on 28 July.
Acting on information, a team of 33 Battalion led by Patrol Commander of Kakdanga BOP Noor Alam, raided Gaffarer ghat area around 5am and found the abandoned gold. The gold, weighing 4.540 kgs, is worth over Tk 2.68 crore.
Investigators told the Daily Observer on Friday that gold smuggling is booming trade. Much of the gold was smuggled by human "mules", sometimes inside their rectum.
Trafficking networks include airhostesses, airport ground staff and corrupt security personnel and officials
"Smuggling rings make a profit of US$4,220 to $2,600 from a kilogram of gold smuggled into India," sources said.
