Customs' 55kg gold missing from Dhaka airport warehouse
Illegal or stolen gold brought from abroad are usually kept in the secured warehouse of customs after seizure.
Some 55kg gold has reportedly been stolen from a highly secured customs warehouse at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Towhidul Islam, additional deputy commissioner at the airport police unit, told The Business Standard that they had unofficial information that 55 kilograms of gold had gone missing from the warehouse. The Dhaka Customs House was taking steps to file a case in this regard, Towhidul said last night.
Syed Mukaddes Hossain, deputy commissioner at Dhaka Customs House, has confirmed the issue of missing gold to a media outlet without clarifying the amount.
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Syed Mukaddes said the on-duty official left his station at night after ensuring all things were in place. However, the next morning, on Friday, he went to the warehouse only to find a lock of the steel almirah loosened up. He informed higher officials and a team that also included Syed Mukaddes went to the scene. After checking the inventory, the officials became reasonably assured that a burglary had been committed, Syed Mukaddes said.
The Business Standard contacted at least four officials of Dhaka Customs House and the National Board of Revenue till 9pm Sunday but failed to get comments on the matter.
The warehouse is kept under constant CCTV surveillance as it is usually used to store seized supplies of smuggled and illegal gold. Customs officials themselves monitor the CCTV cameras and overall security protocols.
The incidence of gold going missing, despite all the security measures, is baffling the authorities.
