Cox's Bazar Correspondent

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has detained two alleged smugglers and recovered 31 bhori of gold jewellery, estimated to be worth around Tk 75 lakh, in Cox's Bazar.

The operation was carried out on Saturday evening around 7:00 PM near the New Fishery Ghat area adjacent to the Cox's Bazar Airport by a special team from BCG Station Cox's Bazar. Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon, media officer of the Coast Guard, confirmed the details on Sunday morning.

According to the Coast Guard, acting on a tip-off that a syndicate was attempting to smuggle a gold consignment into the country evading customs duties, law enforcement increased surveillance near the airport. During the operation, officers signaled a suspicious motorcycle to stop, but the riders attempted to flee by speeding away. The team chased down the vehicle and successfully apprehended the two suspects.

Upon searching a bag carried by the suspects, authorities recovered 31 bhori of smuggled gold jewellery, four mobile phones, Tk 5,742 in cash, 10 Saudi Riyals, and three Saudi ATM cards.

Initial interrogation revealed that the suspects had brought the gold consignment into Bangladesh through various channels evading customs taxes, with intentions to sell it on the open market. They also confessed to having previously been involved in similar smuggling activities.

The Coast Guard stated that intelligence monitoring and special operations will continue to identify and apprehend other dishonest traders and associates connected to the smuggling ring. Legal procedures are currently underway to hand over the seized items and the arrested individuals to local authorities.