The arrestees customs inspectors Nawab Ali Akand and Poritosh Chakrabarty and fourth class employees Abul Kalam Azad and Abdur Rahim Bhuiyan alias Babul -- were handed over to the Airport police last night.

Members of the joint forces caught the four men red-handed at the airport soon after they received Tk 80,000 from Iqbal Huq, owner of Al-Mizan International Trading House at Kuril Biswa Road, at around 4:00pm.

Iqbal said he gave the money, including Tk 42,099 in customs duties, to the customs officers who agreed following negotiations to deliver a consignment of 45 dozen of soaps and lipsticks to him. The consignment of the samples reached the airport on April 16, but the customs officers seized it.

"The customs men seized the goods without showing any reasons even after I wanted to pay the customs duties," said Iqbal, an expatriate living in the USA. He came to Dhaka yesterday.

He said the customs officers first demanded Tk 1.20 lakh, including customs duties, when an employee of his firm Nur Muhammad contacted them.

Iqbal informed the joint forces of the matter before giving the money to the customs men, police sources said.