Officials of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) on Saturday seized 262 illegal mobile phones, including 121 expensive iPhones by conducting drives at city's Bashundhara Shopping Complex, Mohakhali, Gulshan and Uttara area.
The officials said the seized phones, worth Tk 29 million, entered the country dodging all duties and taxes.
A team comprising of customs intelligence, revenue officials, Rapid ActionBattalion (RAB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police started over three-hour long raid simultaneously at different spots from 11am, reports BSS citing a press release.
Apart from the shopping malls, the team conducted a drive at a house in Mohakhali DOHS area and seized machineries and illegal parts for making fake iPhones.
A total of nine miscreants, seven from Mohakhali and two from Uttara were arrested in charge of making or selling illegal or fake mobile phone sets.
After the drive Director General of CIID Dr Md Shahidul Islam said the government has been losing huge amount of duty due to sell of these unauthorised mobile sets, which mostly enters the country through personal baggage. These illegal phone sets are not recorded in BTRC files, he said.
"We will show zero tolerance to check selling of illegal mobile phone sets. We are committed to bring the syndicate of illegal mobile phone sellers and makers under legal action," he added.
He said the government will not allow selling any unauthorised illegal mobile phones in Bangladesh market. "Our drive will be continuing regularly in the coming days," he added.