55 kg gold theft: 8 including 4 customs officials remanded

A court in Dhaka has put eight people, including four revenue officials, on a five-day remand over the theft of around 55.51 kilograms of gold from the volt of the customs godown at Dhaka Airport.

Those who were remanded are assistant revenue officials - Md Shahidul Islam, Saidul Islam Sahed, Akram Sheikh and Md Masum Rana, and four sepoys - Md Mozammel Haque, Md Niyamat Hawlader, Md Rezaul Karim and Md Afzal Hossain.

The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mehidy Hasan passed the order on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Custom House Dhaka suspended above mentioned four customs officials over the theft.

Quoting officials, BSS on September 4 reported that around 55.51 kilograms of gold were stolen from the volt of the customs transit godown at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.

An FIR was lodged with Dhaka Airport Police Station on September 3 by Mohammad Sohrab Hossain, assistant customs officer of the preventive team of Dhaka Customs.

According to the FIR, during patrolling on a regular basis, an airport official noticed the lock of a particular volt was broken, and informed his senior officials about this on September 2.

On information, the joint commissioner along with other customs officials visited the spot and found a part of the tin-made volt cut with a sharp object.

The customs officials later found that around 55.51 kilograms of gold seized in different drives conducted from 2020-2023 were missing from the volt.

OC Azizul Haqu Miah of the police station confirmed the matter to BSS saying, "A case has been lodged in this regard and the police are currently interrogating a number of people, and investigating CCTV footage of the area."

JA/SU