Customs House in Chattogram recently found itself wrestling with a perplexing dilemma - how to securely deposit a substantial haul of seized gold bars and ornaments weighing 17.44 kg into the confines of Chattogram's Bangladesh Bank branch.
Taking the security risk issues into consideration, the customs officials stowed away the gold in the central bank's vault, concealed within a robust steel trunk swathed in white cloth. This trunk was meticulously sealed at ten different points to ensure its integrity.
Revenue officer Sheikh Abdullah Al Mamun and assistant revenue officers SM Ziaul Haque, Md Abu Bashar, and Mahfuzul Haque have been assigned the responsibility of depositing the seized gold.
The entire process was monitored and verified by the Customs' Deputy Commissioner, Muhammad Mahfuz Alam.
This cautious approach was adopted following an alarming incident of theft of 55kg gold at the Dhaka Customs House on September 2 that led to the suspension of four officials in connection with the audacious theft at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Customs House's warehouse.
The gold that found its way into Chattogram's Bangladesh Bank vault represented a diverse assortment of riches. Among the contents were gold bars of varying weights, along with round gold nuggets, bangles, nupurs (anklets), chains, nose pins, lockets, converted gold nuggets, gold coins, and leaf-shaped gold pieces. These treasures, accumulated through various seizures, now rested within the vault's secure confines.
Chattogram's customs house had previously raised concerns about the security risk posed by another cache of gold – 206 kg to be exact. These seizures occurred at different times at the Shah Amanat International Airport and were now temporarily safeguarded by the central bank's Chattogram office. With the deposit process's vulnerability exposed, the customs house advocated for a safer solution - the transfer of this gold to the bullion vault of the Bangladesh Bank in Dhaka.
As per regulations, there exists a provision to deposit seized gold in the central bank's bullion vault within seven days. This should be done in the presence of relevant authorities and specific representatives of the central bank. While such compliance can be maintained in Dhaka's airport, the same level of adherence is not always observed in other airports across the country.
The procedure for depositing seized gold typically involves wrapping it in white cloth and sealing it inside a box with the joint signatures of the responsible officials.
A receipt copy is then issued to customs, but it usually contains only a single number. This receipt does not provide any details regarding the gold's quality, authenticity, number, weight, or even its content. It is not even mentioned whether these sealed boxes contain gold bars or anything else. This lack of information is a significant concern raised by customs officials, further emphasising the risks associated with the deposit process, reads an internal report of the customs.
To mitigate these risks, customs officials argue that measures akin to those implemented in Dhaka need to be adopted in Chattogram.
This would involve the safe transfer of seized gold to Dhaka, possibly via a special helicopter facilitated by RAB, within a single day, they said.
To oversee the process, a committee could be established, comprising representatives from Chattogram's customs house, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, and the National Board of Revenue (NBR), they added.
This committee would be tasked with ensuring the secure and permanent deposit of seized gold in Dhaka, minimising the risks that currently plague the process in Chattogram, said customs officials.
