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Customs officials have seized 13.92kg of gold worth an estimated Tk25 crore from a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
The seizure was made around 11am on Saturday following a tip-off. The gold was allegedly being smuggled on flight BG-148, which arrived in Dhaka from Dubai via Chattogram.
According to a press release from Dhaka Customs House, customs and preventive team officials conducted a special search of the aircraft after its cleaning and maintenance crews had finished work.
During the search, officials, assisted by security guard Nur Islam, found several black-tape-wrapped objects concealed inside the belt worn by Biman assistant technical helper Md Sohel Gazi.
After opening the packages, officials recovered 120 gold bars, each weighing 116 grams, with a total weight of 13.92kg.
Officials from aviation security, customs intelligence and other intelligence agencies were present during the operation.
Customs officials suspect the gold was brought into the country illegally through the Dubai-Chattogram-Dhaka route and could have been smuggled outside the airport premises.
The seized gold is being processed for deposit with Bangladesh Bank in accordance with airport customs procedures for handling high-value goods.