Red sanders worth Rs1 crore seized by Customs

The Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch (SIIB) and Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Nhava Sheva seized a container carrying 590kg of red sanders worth Rs1 crore on the international market.

“The consignment was being exported to a party in Dubai. The exporter used the name of an existing exporter from Silvasa without his knowledge and brought a 20-ft container for entry in to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port,” said commissioner of customs (export), Sushil Solanki.

“Sweet Industries India Pvt Ltd, the exporter whose name was used, is a reputed company and their consignments are often passed without checking. However, some discrepancies were noted in the documents,” added another officer.

The driver of the vehicle Naim Shaikh was arrested with Sailesh Bhanushali who is said to have played a crucial role in acquiring the clearance documents. They have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.