Staff Reporter :
A Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft was seized by officials from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department on Thursday afternoon at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport. A consignment of gold bars weighing 2.32 kilograms was discovered concealed under a seat on the plane.
Officials stated that this marks the first instance of an aircraft being seized at Shah Amanat International Airport. However, there is a precedent of two planes being seized in Dhaka a decade ago for carrying smuggled gold.
After the passengers disembarked, the seized aircraft proceeded to Dhaka’s Shahjalal Airport later in the morning. When questioned about whether the seized aircraft could carry passengers, Additional Director General of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, Md Minhaz Uddin, explained that an officer responsible for passenger transport may place the aircraft under the custody of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The flight had arrived on Thursday morning from the United Arab Emirates before landing at Chattogram’s Shah Amanat International Airport. Acting on information from the National Security Intelligence (NSI), customs intelligence officials, with support from airport security, recovered 2.33 kilograms of gold bars hidden under seat 9J.
The passenger occupying that seat, Atia Samia, a resident of Boalia Thana in Rajshahi, was arrested. A case is being filed against her.
Officials revealed that Atia Samia works as a sales assistant in a UAE-based shop named Ocean Gold and Diamond Jewelry. She also sells gold online in Bangladesh.
