Desk Report:
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat has said that the recent allegations of Hajj pilgrims’ luggage being cut and valuables stolen have been proven untrue in the investigation. No evidence of mishandling was found in the review of CCTV and body-on-camera footage at Dhaka Airport.
He said this while briefing journalists on current affairs related to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism at the conference room of the Secretariat’s Information Department on Thursday (June 4, 2026).
The State Minister said that in view of the report published on social media, Biman Bangladesh Airlines was immediately ordered to conduct an internal investigation. The investigation report was submitted to him within a few hours after observing the body-on-camera footage of the airport.
He said that out of a total of 836 pieces of luggage on the flight, 21 bags were found torn or cut, the ground staff on duty were verbally informed. However, the investigation showed that no misconduct or theft was found at the airport with these incidents.
The State Minister further said that according to international and existing airport rules, no passenger or pilgrim can carry Zamzam water or cosmetics that are not properly sealed in the main check-in luggage. If these are found during scanning, the airport authorities open or cut the luggage as per the rules and seize them. Similarly, carrying undeclared cash or wallets in booking luggage is also prohibited according to international rules.
He praised the role of mainstream media and said that journalists play an important role in highlighting the truth from the various misinformation spread on social media. For this, he thanked the media workers.
Addressing the journalists, he said, “We will be more careful in the future because of your investigative role. The independent way in which the media is currently working is reflected in your activities. However, criticism must be constructive.”
The State Minister said that the current government is committed to improving the quality of services at all levels and is working relentlessly towards that end. He called for objective reporting and said that as the fourth pillar of the state, the responsibility of the media is to present true and verified information to the public.
He assured that the government will continue its efforts to further improve the country’s airports and air services and make the travel of passengers safe and enjoyable.
