Bangladesh Jewellers’ Association on Saturday said that around Tk 73,000 crore was being laundered from Bangladesh every year through gold smuggling.

They have sought the government’s tough action and cooperation of intelligence agencies and law enforcers to stop gold smuggling through Bangladesh.

BAJUS leaders said this at a press conference at the association’s office at Bashundhara city complex in Dhaka on Saturday.

Enmaul Haque Khan, chairman of BAJUS standing committee on Ant-Smuggling and Legal Enforcement, read out a written speech at the press conference.

Vice-chairman Bidhan Malakar, members Ikbal Uddin, Swapon Chandra Karmakar, Bikash Ghosh and Babul Rahman, among others, were present at the function.

They claimed that Bangladesh was used as a transit of gold smuggling to neighboring countries by influential syndicates which should be stopped .

Gold worth around Tk 200 crore is smuggled daily on an average through Bangladesh airways, roads, and waterways, they said.

The jwellers’ association leaders said that they had prepared the report on gold smuggling and money laundering based on law enforcers’ information and newspaper reports regarding gold smuggling.

Replying to query, BAJUS leaders said that 15,000 to 20,000 bhoris of gold are being imported in Bangladesh through baggage of travellers which was legal.