Ahmedabad: Rs 9.5 cr recovered from importers evading customs duty, four nabbed

Four people were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Ahmedabad, on Thursday for allegedly evading customs duty of crystallised glass panels. The agency also recovered Rs 9.5 crore from the accused. 

Responding to a lead that several importers of crystallised glass panels were evading customs duty by resorting to undervaluation at Mundra Port, Nhavasheva Port and ICD Tughlakabad, the sleuths raided places across Ahmedabad, Delhi, Abu Road and Kishangarh in Rajasthan.

Incriminating evidence revealed that the accused were importing these panels at a higher cost from China, but declaring a much lower value in the commercial invoices submitted to the customs. 

Remittance of the value shown in the invoice was being sent by the accused to their foreign supplier through banking channels. The remaining money was being sent through hawala channels, said a DRI official.

“The importers confessed that they were resorting to undervaluation to evade customs duty. They had paid Rs 9.5 crore towards customs duty evaded by them. Live consignments of crystallised glass panels imported by these importers at Mundra Port, Nhavasheva Port and ICD Tughlakabad and the con-signments lying at there pre-mises or warehouses worth more than Rs 7 crores have been detained.”official said.