Customs Intelligence Seizes 1,655 Smartphones Declared as Knit Fabrics at Dhaka Airport
Customs intelligence officials in Dhaka have seized 1,655 smartphones hidden beneath fabric rolls at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The illegal shipment, originating from Hong Kong under the name of Thianis Apparels Limited, is valued at nearly five crore taka.
In a major operation conducted yesterday on Monday, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) successfully intercepted a substantial illegal shipment of mobile phones at the airfreight area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
According to the verified official findings, the authorities seized a total of 1,655 smartphones that were illicitly brought into the country. The consignment had been transported all the way from Hong Kong to the capital city of Bangladesh, raising serious concerns regarding cargo screening and import declaration protocols.
Official documents and cargo manifests associated with the operation indicate that the importer of record for this consignment is Thianis Apparels Limited. However, rather than declaring the actual electronic contents, the shipment paperwork falsely listed the imported merchandise as 'knit fabrics' or general clothing materials.
To evade detection by airport customs authorities, the perpetrators ingeniously concealed the extensive collection of mobile communication devices deep underneath actual rolls of fabric. The entire intercepted cargo weighed a total of 895 kilograms and was distributed across 20 distinct packages within the airfreight facility.
A detailed inventory of the seized electronics revealed a diverse collection of devices, comprising 600 brand-new smartphones under the Xiaomi brand's Redmi model lineup alongside 1,055 older iPhones and various other Chinese brand mobile phones. Specifically, the Xiaomi portion included 450 units of the Redmi 14C and 150 units of the Redmi 15C.
Financial evaluations conducted by the relevant authorities estimate the total market value of these confiscated 1,655 mobile phones to be approximately five crore taka. The National Board of Revenue and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate are continuing their oversight following this major interdiction at Dhaka's primary international aviation hub.
