Qatar expat finally gets back goods confiscated as commercial items
Customs officials had confiscated the goods, labelling them as commercial fresh fruits. However, no fresh fruits or commercial items were found among the seized items
After days of hassle and uncertainty, Qatar expatriate Jaman Hossain has finally received his confiscated belongings from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, without having to pay any customs duty.
Customs officials had confiscated the goods, labelling them as commercial fresh fruits. However, no fresh fruits or commercial items were found among the seized items.
The customs authorities returned his goods on Monday afternoon, a day after The Business Standard published a report on Sunday titled "Duty or Extortion? Returning Bangladeshis Face Airport Ordeal."
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The report detailed how Jaman's 18kg of personal belongings were wrongly labelled as commercial fresh fruit items, prompting customs officials to demand Tk19,337 in duties.
Jaman's ordeal at the airport
Jaman Hossain arrived in Dhaka on 26 February via a US-Bangla flight. As he was about to check out after completing immigration, customs officials stopped him, opened his luggage, and confiscated goods weighing around 18kg.
The officials claimed the items were commercial fresh fruits and imposed a hefty duty.
However, Jaman denied the allegation, stating that his items – worth around Tk25,000 – contained no fresh fruits. Despite his protests, customs officers seized the goods and initiated a case against him.
A struggle to reclaim his belongings
After receiving a call from the customs authority, Jaman visited the airport on Sunday morning to collect his items. However, he faced further delays.
"They kept me waiting for hours until I fell ill and had to return home without my belongings," he told The Business Standard.
Determined to retrieve his goods, Jaman later contacted the customs commissioner, who instructed him to return the following day. On Monday afternoon, after further delays, he was finally handed back his belongings.
"The items were sent by an acquaintance for his family and were well within the allowed weight limit," Jaman said, expressing his frustration. "After all this harassment, I got my goods back. But why should expatriates have to go through this?"
Personal goods falsely labelled as commercial items
A copy of the customs seizure document obtained by TBS shows that officials justified the confiscation by claiming Jaman's actions appeared suspicious when he passed through the green channel without declaring any baggage. Upon scanning, they found 18kg of food and personal items.
The confiscated goods included children's shoes, milk, watches, small rechargeable fans, toy cars, headache balm, baby shampoo, artificial juice powder, dates, lotion, and soap – none of which were fresh fruit or commercial items.
Concerns over expatriate harassment
This incident raises questions about the treatment of returning expatriates at Bangladesh's airports. Many face similar harassment and are forced to pay unjustified duties.
According to the Airport Baggage Rules 2024, a non-tourist passenger is allowed to bring a reasonable quantity of food, clothing, household items, or other personal belongings, provided that the weight of each item does not exceed 15kg.
Former NBR customs member Lutfor Rahman said, "There is no provision for the detention or duty collection on food and other items brought under the existing baggage rules."
Explaining why customs officials engage in such activities, a former customs official told The Business Standard, "While the salary of these officials may be around Tk 30,000 (referring to lower-level staff), they can earn up to Tk 3 lakh per month. Some of them are involved in such activities."
While Jaman managed to recover his belongings, the issue highlights the need for fair and transparent customs procedures to ensure that travellers are not wrongfully targeted.
