TDS Desk:

A passenger returning from the United Arab Emirates was arrested with approximately 16 kilograms of gold at Sylhet Osmani International Airport. Intelligence agencies and the customs intelligence team recovered 105 gold bars and four round pieces of gold from his possession. The estimated value of the confiscated gold is around Tk17 crore.

The detained passenger, Ahmad Hussain, 25, hails from Goramarakandi village in the Toakul Bazar area of Gowainghat upazila.

According to airport sources, the passenger had bypassed customs intelligence personnel and crossed the green channel to reach the parking area. Later, the aviation security officers and NSI members stationed at Osmani Airport challenged him and brought him back to the green channel. Upon searching, they found 16 kilograms of gold wrapped inside a juice machine in his luggage.

Airport Manager Hafizur Rahman confirmed the news.

An investigation revealed that the shipment of gold was linked to the Dilip-Dolan syndicate, which is involved in international gold smuggling. Among them, Dilip Kumar Agarwala is the Managing Director (MD) of Diamond World, while Enamul Haque Khan, also known as Dolan, is the former president of Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) who was expelled due to irregularities.

Sources said Ahmad Hussain, who was caught with the gold, is an active porter for the gold smuggling syndicate. When expatriates return to the country, the syndicate uses them to smuggle gold into the country by employing various tactics. Once the expatriate returns home, syndicate members take possession of the gold shipment and transport it to a secure location.

Dilip-Dolan syndicate smuggled gold from abroad using various tactics during the tenure of the Awami League government. Dilip is a member of the Central Subcommittee on Industry and Commerce of Awami League, while Dolan was an associate of Awami League leader Sheikh Selim’s hundi business and gold smuggling. As a result, despite being involved in heinous activities such as murder, drug trafficking, and arms dealing, this syndicate has remained beyond the reach of the law and has amassed billions of takas.

Sources also said Dilip was summoned by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on 28 October, 2017, for questioning regarding several sensational pieces of evidence related to gold and diamond smuggling, as well as money laundering abroad. However, Dilip requested a two-month extension to appear before the ACC.

Subsequently, he was summoned twice more for questioning via letter. During that time, the ACC team requested information and records of Dilip Kumar’s movable and immovable assets from the Bangladesh Bank’s intelligence department, various scheduled banks, the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and other entities. However, under the protection of various ministers and MPs of the Awami League government, the ACC suddenly dismissed the charges (granted immunity) on November 23, 2021. The immunity letter was signed by the then ACC Director General (Special Investigation) Sayeed Mahbub Khan.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Financial Intelligence Unit has provided information on Dolan’s involvement in gold smuggling. Dolan, with the help of syndicates in Dubai and Singapore, sends gold and gold jewelry to Bangladesh through various passengers entering the country from these two locations.