United News of Bangladesh

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials have seized foreign cigarettes, mobile phones, LCDs, mobile phone motherboards, liquor and gold ornaments worth nearly Tk 1 crore in separate anti-smuggling operations at Dhaka and Chattogram airports over the past two days. The seizures were made during three separate operations conducted on Monday and Tuesday at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, according to CIID officials. At HSIA, an drive was conducted on Monday based on intelligence information after two passengers arrived on Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV804. A total of 481 cartons of foreign cigarettes were recovered from their baggage. Of these, 231 cartons were seized from passenger MD Mansur Alam and 250 cartons from Mohammed Nowaj Sharif. The cigarettes were estimated to be worth around Tk 19.24 lakh. In another operation on the same day, CIID officials searched the baggage of passenger Tipu Al Imran, who arrived from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG339. The officials recovered 36 smartphones that were concealed in a special manner. The consignment included 19 Redmi Turbo 4 Pro and 17 Honor 200 handsets, with an estimated market value of Tk 15.96 lakh. The officials also recovered 550 mobile LCDs of different brands from the same baggage. The LCDs were estimated to be worth Tk 22 lakh. In addition, 950 motherboards with displays for button mobile phones were seized, with an estimated value of Tk 14.25 lakh. During routine patrols, CIID officials also recovered three litres of foreign liquor from an abandoned handbag found near the baggage belt. The liquor was valued at around Tk 60,000. On Tuesday, a CIID team conducted another operation at HSIA based on intelligence information and detained passenger MD Al Amin while he was crossing the Green Channel after arriving from Bahrain on Gulf Air flight GF248. A search of his baggage led to the recovery of 18 litres of Johnnie Walker Red Label foreign liquor, estimated to be worth Tk 3.60 lakh. Meanwhile, in a separate operation at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on August 31, CIID officials seized 12 cartons of foreign cigarettes, medicines including Rowatinex and Sabril, and 100 grammes of gold ornaments from a passenger who arrived from Dubai on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG148.

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) claimed to have seized nearly 7.432kg of gold worth Tk5 crore from a passenger bus at South Keraniganj in the capital on Saturday.During a raid on a bus near Babu Bazar Bridge, CIID 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. Read: Bangladesh gets Tk200 crore smuggled gold every day: BAJUS

The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has seized a Rolls-Royce car worth Tk27 crore from a house in Dhaka's Baridhara for violating customs rule. Imported by Z&Z Intimates, the car was hidden in the garage of the residence of the company's managing director, the CIID said Wednesday. The importer violated the provisions of the Customs Act by illegally hiding the vehicle in a private garage without paying import duties, it added.

Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport seized 68 gold bars from a flight which returned from Abu Dhabi on Friday.