BM Report:

The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) arrested one alleged smuggler at Teknaf on Friday with four gold bars weighing 667 grams with Bangladesh market value at about taka 50 lacs.

The arrested person is Md. Arafat, aged 35, a Rohingya refugee from Jadimura Camp-27.

The BCG media officer, Lieutenant Commander Khandaker Munif Taqi informed that Arafat was caught red handed while, a special operation was being conducted on Teknaf-Cox’s Bazar highway, near Teknaf land-port and Coast Guard Station,

The special operation was being conducted on the basis of secret information on illegal shipments of gold from Myanmar through Teknaf land-port.

“During the operation, a suspicious person was seen coming out of the main gate of the land-port and going onto the road. When the person’s movements appeared suspicious, a coast guard signalled him to stop but he was trying to flee by riding on a Cox’s Bazar bound moving CNG Auto-rickshaw. The BCG members chased him and caught.

Searching for the body of Arafat, coast-guards found four gold bars weighing a total of 663.96 grams with the present Bangladesh market value of Taka 5 million or about US$, 50,000.

Gold bars seized by the BCG were handed over to Teknaf Customs House authorities, and the arrested person was taken to the Teknaf Model Police Station.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Arafat had been involved in gold smuggling for a long time.