3 gold pieces worth Tk1.74cr recovered from passenger’s rectum at Dhaka airport

Dhaka Customs House officials have seized three oval-shaped pieces of gold paste worth an estimated Tk1.74 crore from a passenger who allegedly concealed them inside his rectum at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

The gold was recovered from the passenger, who arrived from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on an Air Arabia flight (G9 518) at around 6:30am on Thursday, customs officials said.

Acting on a tip-off, a preventive team of Dhaka Customs House stepped up surveillance at the airport and detained the passenger, identified as Arman Uddin Siddiqui, after he completed immigration and reached the baggage belt area.

A subsequent search led to the recovery of three oval-shaped pieces of gold paste wrapped in white adhesive tape and concealed inside his body, the officials said.

Each piece weighed 430 grams, making the combined weight 1,290 grams. The pieces were identified as 24-carat gold paste.

According to customs officials, testing and certification showed that refining the gold paste could yield approximately 1,000 grams, or 1kg, of pure gold, with an estimated market value of Tk1.74 crore.

Legal proceedings are underway to file a criminal case against the passenger.