Smuggling of gold is still rampant despite the scope of importing gold through legal channels in the country. Law enforcing agencies in charge of security at the airport have detained some carriers with gold, but the masterminds are out of touch.
In the last one and half year, over Tk 350 crore worth of gold, equivalent to around 700kg, has been confiscated at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Most of the gold is imported from the Middle East. The Armed Police Battalion (APBN), Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, and National Security Intelligence Agency (NSI) in charge of security at the airport have detained some carriers with gold, but the masterminds are out of touch.
According to those involved, recent statistics on the seizure of gold indicate that smuggling is being carried out using various methods.
They believe that a significant amount of gold is being successfully smuggled past law enforcement officials, despite the seized gold. It appears that there are no effective measures in place to curb this illicit trade.
According to intelligence sources, aircraft seats, toilets, waste baskets, luggage or cartons of garment accessories and the carrier's body are being caught at Shahjalal Airport.
According to Dhaka Custom House sources, 649.206kg of gold was seized at Shahjalal Airport in these 15 months from January 2022 to March this year. According to that, six lakh 49 thousand 206 grams of gold was recovered at that time.
At least 80 people were arrested in more than half a hundred cases. Earlier in 2021, Customs reported that 46 people were arrested in 46 cases.
Several officials of Dhaka Customs House said passengers, airline staff and jewellers have been detained in some consignments. Meanwhile, law enforcers failed to arrest the god father of the gold smugglers.
The armed police said that the gold that comes into the aircraft is often hidden inside the aircraft. Only certain people of Biman or Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority-Bebichak have the opportunity to bring out this gold.
Sources of the law and order enforcement forces said that after a few days at the country's main international airport Shahjalal, the smugglers were arrested by Customs and law and order enforcement forces along with gold.
All those who are caught are carriers. Behind them are syndicates of several levels in the country and abroad.
They are always out of reach.
Gold is also being recovered regularly from Chattogram Shah Amanat and Sylhet Osmani Airport.
Apart from this, Border Guard Bangladesh-BGB is recovering a huge amount of gold from the border area almost every month. BGB seized more than 33kg of gold in April this year.
Rules for import of gold through legal route: Passengers can bring gold jewellery up to 100 grams without duty. Customs does not list imports up to this amount.
According to its excess passenger (non-travelling) baggage rules, a returning passenger can bring 234 grams or 20 gold bars on payment of duty. Tk 2,000 to be paid for each shipment. Usually, two bars weigh around 234 grams.
