Anisur Rahman, an engineer of Biman Bangladesh Airlines held with 106 kilograms of gold from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday, has said several others were involved but the customs officials are not taking against them.
Customs officials on Saturday seized 106 kilograms of gold bars stashed in the toilet of a Bangladesh Biman plane coming from Dubai at the Shahjalal International Airport.
Customs intelligence arrested Anisur Rahman, a Bangladesh Biman engineer in this connection.
Rahman claimed on Tuesday that one of his colleagues had asked him to stand guard before the gold was seized.
“Now, I’ve become the scapegoat. I wish I don’t lose my job,” he said.
OC of the Airport Police Station Shah Alam told bdnews24.com that Rahman was a mechanical engineer with Bangladesh Biman for the past 23 years.
During his remand in police custody, Rahman said that after the passengers got off from the flight on Saturday, Rahman, some of his colleagues and some cleaners boarded the plane.
At one point everyone else left the aircraft after learning of a possible customs raid.
The OC said that two technicians of Biman’s engineering department – Masudur Rahman and one Pintu – sent mobile text messages to Anisur Rahman, telling him to guard some contraband kept under Seat No. 22J or its adjacent ones.
Anisur told the police the customs intelligence officials had seized his mobile phone while he stood in front of Seat No. 22J.
Later, they recovered a huge quantity of gold from the toilet.
Anisur was quizzed by the customs officials. Though he told them about the SMS by Masudur and Pintu, they took no action against them.
Mostafizur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Customs Intelligence Department, had told reporters that day that they had prepared a list of suspects in the gold smuggling racket by checking Anisur’s mobile call list.
Asked why the others named by Anisur had not been arrested, the Director General of customs intelligence and investigation department Mainul Khan told bdnews24.com: “We arrested Anis red-handed from the spot. He has admitted his involvement.”
“Those who are investigating the case will now find out it whether more people are involved in the incident.”
OC Shah Alam said that the customs officials handed over Anisur to them on Saturday afternoon.
Metropolitan Magistrate SM Ashikur Rahman on Sunday placed Anisur on a five-day remand for police interrogation when the police produced him with a 10-day remand plea.
The police official said that during the interrogation, Anisur disclosed the names of a few others involved.
However, the OC refused to disclose their names for the sake of investigation.
Source: Bd news24