Bangladeshi smuggler held with 1.2 kg gold at Agartala airport

A Bangladeshi citizen has been apprehended in Agartala airport while trying to smuggle large quantity of gold to Kolkata, said the senior official of Airport Authority of India.

Director of Agartala airport S D Barman said, "A total of forty gold pieces weighing 1.2 kg were found hidden in pipe handle of a bolt-cutter during X-ray point scanning in the morning."

The total price of the gold is said to be around Rs 33 lakh.

Barman also said that the apprehended person has been identified as Shah Alam from Brahminbaria of Bangladesh and had entered India on July 29 through Haridashpur border.

The accused was trying to smuggle the gold via Spice Jet flight SG277 from Agartala to Kolkata.

Meantime, the apprehended person claimed that he is innocent and was not aware that gold was hidden in the handle.

Police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials are interrogating the apprehended, who shall later be handed over to the customs department along with the gold.

This is the fifth incident of recovery of huge quantity of gold or foreign currency from the Agartala airport in the last two months.