50 Gold Bars Recovered from Aircraft Toilet at Shahjalal.

Syed Bashir Ahmed, Chief Reporter. The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has recovered 50 gold bars from the toilet of a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight (BG-585) arriving from Singapore. The total weight of the recovered gold is approximately 5.832 kg, with an estimated market value of around Tk 11 crore, according to relevant sources. The flight landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport from Singapore at approximately 6:30 PM on Monday. Prior to this, acting on a tip-off, the CIID had received information suggesting the presence of over a hundred gold bars on the flight. Immediately after the flight landed, CIID officials began searching the aircraft. During the operation, which lasted nearly four hours, the gold bars—concealed using a special method inside the aircraft's toilet—were detected. Officials stated that each recovered gold bar weighed 10 tolas. The total weight of the 50 bars is 500 tolas, or approximately 5.832 kg. The estimated market value of the gold is around Tk 11 crore. The gold was not recovered from any passenger's luggage. Since it was found hidden in the aircraft's toilet, the incident is being investigated with high priority. Relevant authorities are investigating who placed the gold bars on the aircraft, who was involved in the plan to smuggle them out of the airport, and whether an organized smuggling ring is linked to the incident. The CIID stated that intelligence surveillance and operations will continue in order to identify and bring to justice the rings involved in gold smuggling.