The National Board of Revenue on Tuesday formed a committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling incidents at the country’s airports, officials said.
Headed by the director general of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, the committee will find out reasons for the escalation in gold smuggling in recent times and identify people involved in the smuggling, they said.
Earlier, Dhaka Customs House commissioner Zakia Sultana requested the NBR to investigate the smuggling incidents, NBR officials said.
In two separate incidents on July 6 and 24 the customs officials seized a total of 149 kilograms of gold bars from luggage chamber and beneath the seat of Biman flights at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
On July 23, customs officials also seized 17.2 kg of gold bars and 400 gram of gold ornaments from a flight of United Airways at Hazrat Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
In all the incidents, customs authorities failed to capture or identify the smugglers but they suspected that officials of the airlines and cargo handling agents might be involved in the incidents, an official told New Age.
‘We suspect that people of airlines and cargo handling agents were involved in the smuggling as in all the incidents gold bars were hidden either in luggage chamber or under seat,’ he said.
Passengers or outsiders are not allowed to enter into luggage chamber and it is very difficult for a passenger to hide gold bars under seat, he added.
The NBR in its order asked the committee to submit its report within one month to the commissioner of Dhaka Customs House.
The other members of the committee are additional commissioner of the Dhaka Customs House, representatives from civil aviation authority and United Airways.
-With New Age input
