Two Arriving from the Maldives Arrested in Dhaka with Smuggled Gold

Customs authorities in Bangladesh intercepted two men arriving from the Maldives and seized six egg-shaped gold-paste objects worth an estimated Bangladeshi Taka 4 crore at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on 18 October.

According to a press release by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) cited by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) , the passengers arrived at the capital’s international airport at 6:15 pm aboard US-Bangla Airlines flight BS338.

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BSS identified the two passengers as Mohammed Solaiman and Jobayed Ahmad. Acting on intelligence, CIID officials searched the pair and recovered three oval-shaped packets containing gold paste from each man’s rectum.

The six seized objects carry a combined preliminary weight of 2.734 kilograms, with an estimated street value of around Bangladeshi Taka 4 crore (approximately MVR 5 million).

BSS reported that customs authorities have kept the seized contraband intact to maintain the integrity of the evidence. Specialist tests will be conducted to confirm the exact quantity of pure gold and determine its definitive market value before formal legal proceedings continue.

The CIID reiterated through BSS that it is actively maintaining strict surveillance, intelligence-driven operations, and targeted passenger screenings across airports to dismantle cross-border gold trafficking operations.