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Detective police say they have seized 'uranium' from Dhaka's Banani area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner (DC) Krishnapad Roy said that police have detained 11 people from different areas of Dhaka, believed to be involved in smuggling uranium.
He claimed the estimated market value of the recovered 'uranium' was around Tk 500 million.
Information provided by them led the detectives to raid a house in Banani, from where the uranium was seized, he told a media briefing on Sunday.
"Those detained claim it is uranium. They have been looking for a buyer for the last six months for it. We will send it to the Atomic Energy Commission to find out whether it is uranium," said the DMP official.
He said it might take two weeks to know the results.
Uranium, a very heavy metal used for creating nuclear fission to create atomic energy, helps in generating power or for producing nuclear weapons.
Those who have been arrested are Moynal Hossain Sagar, 45, Humayun Kabir, 48, Kaiyum Chowdhury, 54, Kayes Ahmed, 54, Md Khaleque, 44, Swapan Molla, 45, 'Firoz', 45, Masudur Rahman Nasim, 42, Aslam Miah, 61, Moinuddin Razan, 45 and Tofael Ahmed Patwary, 48.
Of them, Aslam Miah is a garments trader. The leather box, containing 'uranium', was found at his Banani home, said DC Roy.
"This gang used to fool people by telling them to trade in prohibited imported products. Some of this gang got buyers, some managed the consignment, some concealed it until sale," said the police official.
The detained used to show a video footage of the product to prospective buyers, for which they collected a deposit of Tk 50,000, while for inspecting the goods, they would take 'security money' of Tk 5 million, said Roy quoting the detained smugglers.
Meanwhile, a female was found outside the Detective Branch (DB) headquarters during the briefing.
She claimed to be the wife of one of the arrested, Kayes Ahmed.
According to her, Ahmed was arrested after 'a meeting' on Thursday night.
She came to the DB office after being informed of her husband's arrest.
She told reporters that she did not hear anything about the 'uranium' from her husband.
Bangladesh has no known sources of uranium, but close to its borders in India's northeastern state of Meghalaya, exist a huge deposit of high quality uranium.
It was discovered in the early 1990s at Domiosiat-Wakkhaji region, but fierce tribal resistance had thwarted Indian plans to mine it.
The tribals allege they will suffer radioactive fallout as has already in Jharkhand, India's only other state with uranium deposits.
Earlier in 2001, two Bangladesh nationals were arrested along with some locals in Meghalaya and charged with theft of raw uranium ore.
