Customs Intelligence officials seized 12 gold bars, weighing around 12kg, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital early yesterday.

The gold bars were found in a wooden box of electric fans at the cargo unit of the airport around 1:45am, said Moinul Khan, director general of Customs Intelligence.

The estimated value of the gold is Tk 6 crore. The gold was shipped over from Hong Kong by a cargo flight of Cathay Pacific, he said. The consignee of the electric fans is Zara International in Dhaka, while the shipper is Global International in Hong Kong, the customs official mentioned.

Previous record shows that gold is being smuggled into the country, usually from Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore. But this incident indicates smugglers have changed their routes.

An investigation was underway to identify those involved with the gold smuggling, Moinul added.