Dhaka Customs House officials have seized three oval-shaped pieces of gold paste worth an estimated Tk1.74 crore from a passenger who allegedly concealed them inside his body at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
The gold was recovered from the rectum of a passenger arriving from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on an Air Arabia flight (G9 518) around 6:30am today (8 October), according to customs officials.
Acting on a tip-off, the preventive team of Dhaka Customs House stepped up surveillance across the airport. The team detained the passenger, identified as Arman Uddin Siddiqui, after he completed immigration and reached baggage belt 2.
A search subsequently led to the recovery of three oval-shaped pieces of gold paste wrapped in white adhesive tape and concealed inside his body, customs officials said.
The three pieces, each weighing 430 grams, had a combined weight of 1,290 grams and were identified as 24-carat gold paste.
According to customs officials, testing and certification showed that refining the gold paste could yield approximately 1,000 grams, or 1kg, of pure gold, with an estimated market value of Tk1.74 crore.
Legal proceedings are underway to file a criminal case against the passenger over the attempted gold smuggling, Dhaka Customs House said.
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