DHAKA: Customs officials have seized contraband gold weighing about 37kg estimated to be worth about Tk 180 million in market value at Dhaka airport.
The gold bars were found abandoned on board an Emirates flight that flew in from Dubai on Thursday night, Assistant Commissioner of Customs Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar said.
No arrests have been made so far.
RAB said its dog squad, deployed at the airport, had “sniffed out the gold”.
Shahiduzzaman said 320 gold bars were found wrapped in black tape under five seats and two toilets.
RAB spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan said members of security agencies searched flight EK-586 on a tip-off.
Shahiduzzaman, the customs officer, said they had confiscated the plane.
“It’s a common practice to confiscate planes if the involvement of the airlines in gold smuggling is suspected,” he added.