Key takeaways:

• Theft occurred 10 days after major fire (28 October)
• No case filed weeks later
• Security removed before heist
• Police investigation stalled by non-cooperation

 Criminals emptied the high-value goods vault at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka airport) on 28 October while Customs and Biman Bangladesh Airlines blamed each other for the security lapse.

Strong room inside the cargo terminal stores imported valuables including gold, diamonds and weapons. Thieves used tools to break in and cleared everything just 10 days after a devastating fire left the facility vulnerable.

Biman sent an urgent letter to Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary after the 18 October blaze, warning the vault survived intact but remained dangerously unprotected. Company urged Customs to take immediate custody of valuables, but authorities failed to act.

Muhammad Kamrul Hassan, joint commissioner said that their responsibility covers only revenue collection, not security. He claimed that Biman's warning letter never reached them before the theft.

"Generally, Customs only deals with tax management. We have no authority to directly remove goods from the vault," Kamrul Hassan said.

Weeks after the incident, no case has been filed. General diary lodged at airport police station did not include a list of stolen items, hampering investigation efforts.

Police accused Biman authorities of refusing to cooperate. Officers summoned duty personnel from multiple agencies, but none appeared at the station despite repeated notices.

"No one came. This has wasted a lot of time. Now we are going agency to agency to identify who was on duty," Taslima Akter, officer-in-charge, Airport Police Station said.

Security guards were mysteriously removed from the vault area before the theft. Boshra Islam, general manager of public relations at Biman Bangladesh Airlines said thatpersonnel moved outside due to collapse risk from the fire-damaged building's roof, raising further suspicions.

Documents obtained by mass media, confirm the vault contained not only weapons but also high-value assets, though Biman has not officially disclosed exact contents or losses.

Source: Somoy TV.