15th June 2015

- Mumbai Mirror

By Manish Pachouly

SMUGGLED CHINESE FIRECRACKERS WORTH RS 17.2 CR SEIZED BY DRI

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)-Mumbai has unearthed a major firecracker smuggling racket, and has seized Rs 17.2-crore worth material that was being smuggled from China. This is the biggest firecracker smuggling racket busted by any agency in the country.

The DRI got a tipoff about the smuggling attempt a fortnight ago. Around eight days ago, the DRI seized six containers, each 40-ft-long, that arrived at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). Officially, the consignments were declared as that of water glasses, ceramic coffee mugs and paper kites.

"They were huge containers and we kept checking them for the last eight days. The checking of the last container was carried out on Friday," a DRI official said. On opening the containers, the officials found cargo of officially declared goods in first two to three rows. "However, on removing these rows, we found the boxes of firecrackers," the official said. The official consignment of glasses, coffee mugs and kites was found to be worth Rs 34 lakh.

On the import documents, the DRI officials found names and addresses of six different groups based in various parts of the city. "Most of the addresses were in chawls and there were no such people or group found," the official said.

The DRI officials said that they seized the consignment before the same could be cleared from the port, hence couldnt find the people or the agents who would have got it cleared. "We have the information about the people involved and are hunting for them," the official said.