Gold smugglers are now using rail route on way to sending their smuggled gold to India through different border points as they find it safer for carrying out the illegal act. Members of gold smuggling gang now opt for using rail route to avoid arrest while traveling on land road with smuggled gold, said sources at Government Railway Police (GRP). Earlier, smuggled gold came to Bangladesh through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport but as servillance has been stepped up there, Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong, Osmani International Airport in Sylhet and also the sea route have become new gateway to gold smuggling. GRP personnel have recently arrested some members of smuggling gang at Kamalapur Railway Station in the capital and seized large number of gold bars from their possession. During interrogation, they said gold from different countries come to Bangladesh through Chittagong and Sylhet airports and also through sea route and it is carried to Dhaka by using rail route then it is sent to India through Benapol land port. Intelligence officials said smugglers are now choosing Chittagong and Sylhet airports as surveillance has recently stepped up at Dhaka airport in the wake of frequent seizure of huge gold bars at the airport. On Monday, GRP personnel detained a man along with 10 gold bars weighing over one kilogram at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka. Abdul Majid, officer-in-charge of Kamalapur railway police, said on a tip-off, they napped Sujan alias Babar, 27, after he landed at Kamalapur Railway Station around 7:45am. He came to Dhaka from Chittagong along with illegal gold by Turna Nishita train. Law-enforcers recovered the gold bars after searching his body. “Earlier, the gang sent some shipments of gold to India using roadway, but they now think that rail route is safe for them to carry out the illegal act,” he said. The OC also said,” we are trying to catch the mastermind behind the gold smuggling.” On 16 July, Railway police arrested three people along with 50 gold bars weighing six kgs from Kamalapur Railway Station. The arrestees are Sujan, 30, Bilu, 32, and Md Selim, 25. Earlier on August 22, Railway police arrested Shahin, 30, along with 40 gold bars worth about Tk 2.40 crore from Kamalapur station. He came to Dhaka from Chittagong by Turna Nishita train. Customs intelligence sources said earlier gold would be smuggled into Bangladesh by hiding it in passengers’ luggage, snack packets and even in shoes. A section of civil aviation officials and flight engineers helped the smugglers take gold out the airport and handed it over to the members of the gang waiting outside. Dhaka airport authorities recently set up modern devices and beefed up vigilance and that is why criminals are now using Chittagong and Sylhet airports. From these two airports, gold is brought to Dhaka and later carried to border for sending it to India. According to the custom intelligence department, at least 565kg gold worth Tk 255 crore was recovered from Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet airports in the last one year. Intelligence officials said a powerful gold smuggling syndicate is operating in Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. Politicians, businessmen and airport and civil aviation officials have a link with the syndicate. Mainul Haque Khan, director of Customs Intelligence Department, “They have beefed up surveillance at Dhaka airport, forcing the smugglers to use alternative routes”.
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