Chennai Customs seize gold and foreign currency worth over Rs 1.3 crore
In three separate incidents, the Chennai Air Customs seized 2.9 kg gold worth over Rs 1.3 crore and assorted foreign currency valued at Rs 10.70 lakh from the passengers.
In the first instance, a passenger, identified as Nisar Mandala, a resident of Kannur, arrived from Dubai and was intercepted by the officials at the exit gate. Upon search, two plastic pouches containing gold in the form of paste, which was concealed inside his shoes, weighing 1.635 kgs were recovered.
The gold was valued at Rs 64.98 lakh and was seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The passenger was arrested.
In another instance, two passengers, KalandarThamimulAnsari and Mohammed NagoorMohideen, travelling to Dubai were intercepted by the airport authorities. On investigation, assorted foreign currency of various denominations valued at Rs 10.70 lakh was found concealed inside their rectums. The currency was seized under the Customs Act, 1962.
Lear More2 held in raids against liquor smugglers, manufacturers
Ludhiana: In its ongoing drive against illicit liquor smuggling, the Ludhiana excise department arrested two persons during the raids. The actions came a day after the department had conducted several raids on illicit liquor manufacturing hubs located near the banks of Satluj river.
Dr Shivani Gupta, assistant commissioner, excise, Ludhiana range, said, “Our teams are working round the clock to identify and act against gangs and persons involved in illicit liquor manufacturing and liquor smuggling. In a raid conducted on Wednesday at the house of bootlegger Nirmal Singh, resident of Galib Kalan village in Jagraon, our team recovered 24 bottles whiskey of a leading brand for sale in Haryana. We arrested the accused on the spot.”
She said following the information, another raid was conducted at the house of bootlegger Ram Singh, a resident of Kot Umra village near Sidhwan Bet and 20 bottles of illicit liquor (home made) were seized. On Thursday, a joint naka was held near Ittan Wala chowk. During checking, one Sukhdev Singh of Dhandra village was arrested with 36 bottles of Sounfia (for sale in Punjab) from his scooter number PB10HE5348. Further investigation in all three cases is under progress.”
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Assam : Fake Currency Ring Busted In Mangaldoi; 5 Held
A five-member gang suspected to be involved in an interstate ring of counterfeit currency has been apprehended from Assam’s Mangaldoi.
According to the police, the offenders were apprehended due to prompt action by four unarmed Home Guard Jawans.
Following their arrest, a large amount of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) with a face value of Rs 15 lakhs in the denomination of Rs 500 were confiscated.
According to police, these two Home Guard Jawans, identified as – Alkibar Rahman and Hitesh Medhi noticed the Maruti Swift car bearing registration number ASO1AF9389 moving suspiciously near Chapai Chowk at midnight.
They attempted to stop the truck, but the driver refused and raced away towards Mangaldai town.
Following receipt of the information, these two Home Guard jawans intercepted the automobile at Karimchowk in Mangaldai town and transported the vehicle and four passengers to the police station. Police seized thirty packets of FICN totaling 15 lakh after conducting a thorough check of the vehicle.
https://www.northeasttoday.in/2022/05/21/assam-fake-currency-ring-busted-in-mangaldoi-5-held/
Lear MoreCapacity Building Programme for Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling
Focus State: Gujarat
Medium: VIRTUAL
With the objective to sensitize the police officers of Gujarat to combat the socio-economic evils of illicit trade from the society, which are risky parasites to the economy and cause danger to the lives of individuals, FICCI CASCADE organized a “Capacity Building Programme for Gujarat Police Officers on Prevention of Counterfeiting and Smuggling” on 20th May 2022.
Addressing the programme Mr. Saurabh Tolumbia, Deputy Inspector General of Police, CID (Crime and Railways), Gujarat said that the recent biggest seizure in Gujarat included duplicate versions of sunglasses of a high-end brand, worth ₹6 Crores. He stated that there have been 46 copyright cases over the last 2 years and Gujarat Police have managed to seize counterfeit goods worth Rs 12.5 Crore. He further mentioned that the police have seized duplicate watches amounting to more than Rs 3 Crore 31 Lakhs, and duplicate mobile accessories worth Rs 83 Lakhs.
Mr. P C Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in his welcome address said, “The illegal activities of counterfeiting and smuggling are flooding the market with substandard fake goods which are produced without following quality norms at unhygienic places, and are sold without issuing bills, thus contributing towards increase in unaccounted money.” Trade in counterfeit and smuggled goods has developed a substantial threat to the economy of our country and pose serious safety and security hazards to the society at large, he added. He also stated that the valiant police officers of Gujarat Police, have over the last couple of months taken several actions against criminals dealing with fake currency, illicit alcohol, smuggled cigarettes, fake injections and drugs.
While giving an overview on Socio-Economic Impact of Counterfeiting and Smuggling, Mr Deep Chand, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE and Former Special Commissioner of Police, New Delhi highlighted the global estimates of illicit trade. He said that the wider social, investment and criminal enforcement costs due to smuggling and counterfeiting could touch $4.2 trillion by 2022, putting at risk 5.4 million legitimate jobs. As per the recent FICCI CASCADE study, in the FY 2018-19 Indian economy loses Rs 1,17,253 crore due to smuggling in the five key sectors and total livelihood opportunities lost is 16.36 lacs, he added.
He apprised on the innovative ways of counterfeiting and smuggling adopted by the illicit traders to run their illegal market network. He highlighted that India is an emerging economy and is on the right track to become the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2025. To achieve the same, industrial growth need to be increased; more investment needed for growth and development; increase in expenditure on R & D is required and police being the primary enforcement body has to play an important role in enforcing laws.
Mr Pradeep Dixit, Vice President, Industry Affairs, ITC Ltd said, “Smuggling and Counterfeiting expands black markets and encourages a convergence between organized crime, terrorist groups and other threat networks.” Generating mass awareness amongst the consumers is an important mean to curtail the hazards of growing illicit trade, Mr Dixit added.
Mr Nitin Saluja, Senior Policy Manager, Customer Trust, Amazon India discussed about Amazon’s efforts in mitigating fraud and abuse on marketplaces that hamper customer trust and how Amazon via its various initiatives puts in enormous resources to deliver on its established tenets and to make its marketplace a reliable and safe platform for customers, brands, and sellers to conduct transactions. He stated that Amazon is committed to promoting and participating in the efforts for ensuring that the consumers are empowered to enjoy the benefits of online shopping while being protected from the risks the digital era may present.
Over the years, FICCI CASCADE has been regularly engaging with law enforcement agencies including police, customs and paramilitary organizations engaged in border protection in sensitizing them on the gravity of the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling.
Ship captain fined €600 over discovery of three million ‘contraband cigarettes’ onboard
A court has fined the captain of a merchant ship €600 for submitting a false declaration in administrative paperwork after customs officials discovered mastercases containing over three million contraband cigarettes. However, the court cleared him of more serious charges after ruling that it hadn’t been shown that the items seized were in fact, cigarettes.
Magistrate Ian Farrugia presided over the case in which prosecuting police inspector Daryl Borg charged Mario Cardona, captain of the MV Alice with attempting to evade duty and tax and knowingly receiving or transporting the contraband cigarettes, as well as .knowingly omitting a substantial detail in his declarations to the Maltese authorities.
The MV Alice had docked in Malta on June 29, 2014, with its captain, Mario Cardona and four other crew members on board.
As per normal procedure, the ship’s local Agent had gone aboard the ship to inspect its IMO declaration, which stated that there was nothing to be declared except gas, oil and fuel. But not long after Caruana had disembarked the ship and gone home, Customs officials boarded the ship and discovered a large stockpile of cigarettes in the ship’s stores, close to the crew’s living quarters.
Lear MoreWest Bengal: 3 arrested for printing counterfeit US dollars in Burdwan, BJP says TMC linked to the racket
On Thursday (May 19), the police had busted a factory, printing fake currency, including counterfeit US dollars as well as Indian Rupees, in East Mathpara near Khagragarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal.
A total of 3 people, namely, Gopal Singh, Bipul Sarkar and Dipankar Chakraborty, were apprehended by the police in the case. ABP Ananda reported that Gopal rented a house with two other women about 5 months ago where Gopal set up the factory.
They had introduced themselves as human rights activists while renting the house. As per a report in News 18 Bangla, there were a total of 3 women in the house. Two of them were said to be physically disabled. One of the women also had a child.
Given their medical condition, the neighbours treated them with sympathy. However, they were oblivious to the fake currency factory that was being operated from that house by the accused.
https://www.opindia.com/2022/05/west-bengal-fake-currency-us-dollars-burdwan-tmc-bjp/
Lear MoreIllegal liquor worth Rs 70 lakh seized, 2 held in UP’s Amethi
Amethi (UP), May 18 (PTI) The police have arrested two men here and recovered illegal liquor worth Rs 70 lakh was recovered from them, officials said on Wednesday.
The seizure was made in a joint operation of the district police and a unit of Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police, they said.
“A truck was stopped by the team on the Lucknow- Sultanpur road following an intelligence. Illegal liquor was found stashed in the truck. The driver and another person in the vehicle could not prove that liquor was legal,” said Additional Superintendent of Police, Vinod Kumar Pandey.
The police arrested truck driver Vikram Meghwal and Jakir Khan, both residents of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
Later in a statement, the STF said illegal liquor worth 70 lakhs was recovered from the truck.
“The two accused informed that they were members of an interstate liquor smuggling racket. A case under relevant sections has been lodged and we are investigating the matter,” said the officer.
During investigation, the police found that the number plate of the vehicle was fake, officials said.
https://theprint.in/india/illegal-liquor-worth-rs-70-lakh-seized-2-held-in-ups-amethi/961439/
Lear MoreCustoms destroy P95-M worth of smuggled cigarettes
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Bureau of Customs-Port of Subic destroyed P95 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and disposed of “overstaying” containerized cargoes last Thursday, May 12.
Port of Subic District Collector Maritess Martin said the condemned cargoes were part of the nine 40-footer container vans, three of which contained the cigarettes consigned to Goldlink Int’l. Subic Inc., which was seized last year.
The other six containers, reportedly containing assorted household goods and personal effects, were declared “overstaying,” or their owner had failed to claim them after an extended period.
Customs personnel brought the nine containers to the Greenleaf 88 Non-hazardous Waste Disposal facility in Pampanga for shredding, crushing and dumping. These are the approved disposal processes.
Martin assures the public that it will continue to implement measures to dispose of overstaying containers to ensure the unhampered flow of goods in the Port while remaining steadfast in its campaign against smuggling.
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Tripura: BSF foils smuggling attempt, seizes valuables worth over Rs 2.29 crores
Agartala (Tripura) [India], May 15 (ANI): The Tripura unit of Border Security Force (BSF) in its ‘Special Operations’, foiled another trans-border smuggling attempt across the India-Bangladesh International Border and seized items worth more than Rs 2.29 crores and arrested two smugglers, informed BSF on Sunday.
“BSF troops gave a big jolts to the trans-border smugglers by successfully seizing huge quantity of contraband items, besides 20.5 Kgs Ganja, recused 29 cattle heads having combined seizure value worth Rs. 2,29,33,241 along with Rs 10,500 Bangladeshi Taka. Two smugglers have also been apprehended in two different operations”, stated the BSF.
The arrested people have been idfentified as Madhu Data (55 years) and Pranam Majumdar (35 years). The apprehended persons along with seized mobile phones have been handed over to Manu Bazar police station in South Tripura.
“During wee hours of May 14, on specific Intelligence input the troops of BOP Srinagar, Ex-109 Bn BSF conducted a special joint operation along with Police and successfully recovered huge consignment of 102 Bundles containing assorted clothing items along with one van one Motorcycle and three mobile phones having total seizure value amounting to Rs 2,22,98,000 from a Godown in South Tripura’s Sabroom”, added BSF.
Lear More‘In Conversation with Mr. Vivek Johri, Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs’
FICCI CASCADE organized an “In Conversation with Mr. Vivek Johri, Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs” on 12th May 2022. The objective of the session was to throw light on the smuggling scenario in India, enforcement of laws related to indirect taxes, steps taken to contain tax evasion and initiatives taken by CBIC to combat this menace.
Addressing the ‘In Conversation Series’ organized by FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) Mr Johri, said, “Gold, narcotics, and cigarettes are highly prone to outright smuggling. He further highlighted the extent of the menace and said that “At CBIC, we are going aggressively against illicit trade in these goods. In 2021-22, we seized 92,000 kg of narcotics worth Rs 17,400 crore, during this period, we also seized 14 crore cigarette sticks”. He added that artificial intelligence and data analytics are playing a pivotal role in targeting instances of smuggling which have significantly helped the department to deal with the growing menace of illicit trade.
Mr. Johri also shared those unscrupulous players indulging in illicit activities misuse free trade agreements, export promotion schemes, and misuse end user-based exemptions. He accentuated that CBIC is trying to overcome these challenges in a systemic way and have ramped up the use of technology in their operations with 22 cargo scanners at 16 locations to ensure 100% scanning of all containers coming into the country through gateway ports.
Mr Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI CASCADE in his welcome address said that smuggling and illicit trade is increasingly hurting Indian economy and have crept into multiple sections of the society. Immediate steps are required, both in the form of policy intervention and awareness generation, to address this growing menace.
He highlighted that it is indeed heartening to see how CBIC is using AI, Blockchain, Machine Learning to strengthen the enforcement agencies in detecting such malpractices. Complimenting the GST council and CBIC for a well-balanced tax policy and maintaining equal thrust on revenue augmentation and strict handling of tax evaders. He apprised how this has led to effective compliance and record-breaking revenue collections. He further added that we can already see some green shoots and are hopeful that going forward collaborative efforts between government agencies and industries would bring fruitful results for the country.
Mr P C Jha, Former Chairman, CBIC and Advisor, FICCI CASCADE while moderating the session stated that the magnitude of illicit market is large and with passage of time it is proliferating at an accelerated pace. One in 3 FMCG household and personal goods available in the market, is not genuine. Similarly, one out of 4 FMCG packaged food items and one out of 5 tobacco products including cigarette sold is an illicit product. Mr. Jha highlighted that FICCI CASCADE study indicates that in FY 2013-14 due to illicit trade in respect of just 7 items, total loss to government revenue was about Rs. 39000 crores and sales loss to the genuine industry was about Rs 1,05,000 crores.
FICCI CASCADE, in pursuance of its agenda, has been organizing series of such interactions with experts to understand various facets of illicit trade and its impact on the economy.
Watch the session live at:. https://youtu.be/V_wl8b8aXhU
Coverage reportDownload Pdf