Dhaka, April 1 (IANS): Four people, including three policemen, have been detained and 149 gold bars recovered from them during raids in three district towns in Bangladesh.

The policemen detained are sub-inspector Monjurul Alam, constables Wahid and Akash of Rampura Police Station in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, Abu Yusuf, assistant commissioner (Media) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said.

Police informer Rana was also among those who were detained. The suspects were detained during raids in Narayanaganj, Gazipur and Bogra districts Monday night, bdnews24.com reported.

Police also detained two people March 13 and recovered gold bars from Dhaka’s Banasree area.

Later, those detained told police that there were more gold bars with them.

There has been a huge spurt in smuggling of contraband gold into Bangladesh.

The country's customs department said Bangladesh is mainly a conduit for smuggling gold to India, where import curbs on gold have boosted demand for the yellow metal in the black market.