Online Desk: The Airport Armed Police Battalion has launched a special operation to prevent smuggling on the occasion of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. The battalion seized 973 grams of gold, 104 mobile phones, 50 cartons of cigarettes, 35 kg of beauty creams, two laptops and 600 grams of liquor in a day-long special drive on Wednesday (April 12), Mohammad Ziaul Haque, additional superintendent of the force, said. The market value of the seized goods is around Tk 1.5 crore, he said.

The goods were seized from Ismail Hossain, Zaker Ullah, Nazrul Islam, Mohammad Forkan, Abdullah Al Faruk, Jahidul Islam Nayan, Mohammad Hossain, Helal Uddin, Abu Sufian, Mohammad Hasan Mahmud, Shahidul Islam, Mohammad Ayat Ullah and Md Amran Hossain. They returned home from Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Oman, according to the Airport Armed Police.

Ziaul Haque said: “A smuggling group has been very active on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. We’ll be conducting regular drives based on information.” The seized items have been handed over to the customs authorities and legal action has been taken, he added.