The detainee is Md Abdus Salam, 48, hailing from Gazipur. He returned from Singapore on a Singapore Airlines flight that landed at the airport around 10:40pm.
With this, Salam visited Singapore five times this month, said airport sources.
Salam denied carrying any taxable products after asked by customs officials while crossing the green channel, said Dhaka Airport Customs House Deputy Commissioner Othello Chowdhury.
However, they found the presence of metal substances in his pants while frisking him, he said, adding that they recovered the gold bars worth Tk 5.15 crore in two packets wrapped with scotch tape.
The detainee mentioned the name of one HM Nuruzzaman alias Ziko of Khilkhet in the city as the owner of the gold, saying an airport official was supposed to receive the gold consignment and hand it over to Ziko.
Salam also showed the customs officials Ziko’s photo and passport in his mobile phone.
However, he could not provide any detailed information about the airport official.