The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized mobile accessories, e-cigarettes, branded bags and cosmetics worth Rs 80 crore from Mundra Port in Gujarat’s Kutch district and arrested two persons, an official said on Monday. The articles were concealed in a consignment of garment accessories and ladies footwear having a declared value of Rs 1.5 crore, he said.
As per an official release, two persons were arrested even as a probe revealed that the importers did not exist at the registered premises.
DRI officials had received inputs that goods imported from China had been misdeclared as garment accessories and ladies footwear and were likely to contain high-end electronic branded goods, it said.
The goods were being sought to be cleared through the SEZ route, and six suspect containers were identified, the release said.
On inspection, the DRI recovered 33,138 pieces of apple airpods/batteries, 4,800 e-cigarettes, 7.11 lakh mobile/electronic goods/accessories, 29,077 branded bags, shoes and cosmetics, 53,385 branded watches, 58,927 automobile parts, concealed in the imported goods, it stated.
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“The value of the alleged misdeclared/smuggled goods is estimated at Rs 80 crore against the declared value of Rs 1.5 crore. Accordingly, the goods were seized under the provisions of the Indian Customs Act1962,” it said.
The investigation also revealed that the importers did not exist at the registered premises, and the syndicate had used various dummy importers to smuggle such goods in the past, it said.
Two people were arrested under the Customs Act and further investigations were underway, the release said.
The DRI had recently seized China-made toys worth Rs 64 crore and cosmetics worth Rs 74 crore being similarly imported. It has also seized e-cigarettes and foreign brand cigarettes worth Rs 134 crore this financial year, it stated.
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