Gold worth Tk 59.35m seized in Keraniganj, Benapole, three Indians detained

Law enforcement agencies in separate raids seized over 8kg gold from Keraniganj in Dhaka and Benapole in Jashore on Saturday. Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate have detained 12 people including three India citizens in connection with the smuggling of the gold, reports news agency UNB.

In Benapole, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members seized nine gold bars weighing 1kg from an auto-rickshaw at Amrakhali area on Saturday night.

Tipped off, a team of BGB-49 battalion conducted a drive in the area at around 9:30 pm.

BGB members tried to stop the auto-rickshaw driver heading towards Kagojipukur but its driver managed to escape, said BGB-49 in a press release on Sunday.

Later, the gold bars worth Tk 9.35 million were recovered from a hidden spot of the auto-rickshaw.

BGB-49 said they are trying to arrest the driver and a case will be filed at Benapole port police station in this regard.

The seized gold will be deposited to government treasury, said the press release.

In Keraniganj, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) claimed to have seized nearly 7.432kg gold worth Tk 50 million from a bus in the capital on Saturday.

During a raid on a bus near Babu Bazar Bridge, CIID team also detained 12 people, including three Indians, for their involvement in gold smuggling, Shafiqul Islam, revenue officer of the directorate, said.

The identities of the detainees could not immediately be confirmed, Shafiqul added. “The details will be disclosed through a press briefing on Sunday.”