Staff Correspondent:

At least 143kg of smuggled gold, worth over Tk196 crore, has been seized in the country over the last seven months, as gold smuggling continues both through airports and border areas.

According to records of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, the two agencies recovered the illegal gold between August and February, amid rising concerns over the persistent smuggling network.

In one incident, on 11 February, the Customs Intelligence detained a passenger at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with 3.289kg of gold. Later, on 27 February, BGB seized 2.335kg of abandoned gold from a cowshed in Hudapara, a border area in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga. The combined market value of the gold seized in these two cases stands at over Tk77 crore.

Concerned officials said, “Although the political situation in the country changed last August, the smuggling patronage has merely shifted hands — while the illegal trade continues. Smugglers are exploiting gaps in internal law enforcement and border surveillance to maintain their operations.”

They also noted that the actual amount of smuggled gold far exceeds the seizures, with most recoveries being made on the basis of specific intelligence.

“It is difficult to seize smuggled gold without precise information,” said BGB Director (Operations) Lt Col SM Shafiqul Rahman.

“In most cases, when carriers sense a raid, they abandon the gold and flee, making it difficult to arrest them,” he added.