Ludhiana: A team of city-based zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Thursday night seized a container—declared as carrying scrap—coming from Dubai and found it filled with components for high-end cars, like BMW, and a huge quantity of black pepper.
It was seized moments after it entered the Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR) inland container depot (ICD) located in Dhandari Kalan. One person has been arrested for questioning.
Highly-placed sources in the department said only the area near the cargo door of the container was stuffed with scrap to deceive the officials, but as DRI had specific inputs about the contents, it was thoroughly scanned. Sources said misdeclaration of contents was done to evade the heavy customs duty on high-end automotive components (about 30%) and black pepper (from 51% to 71%). Scrap customs duty was in the range of 2.5% to 5%, they added.
The action was taken under the instructions of additional director general Nitin Saini. The estimated value of the black pepper and the automotive components being smuggled is said to be more than Rs 50 lakh.
Less than a fortnight back, the DRI had found 10 mis-declared containers at another ICD in Ludhiana.
Bogus billing case: Rs 60 lakh found
In a recent raid by the directorate general of GST Intelligence (DGGI) on a scrap dealer on Overlock Road, Rs 60 lakh cash was found from his business premises. The accused allegedly committed bogus billing of Rs 65 crore, involving Rs 5 crore to Rs 7 crore input tax credit (ITC). Department officials were tight-lipped about the case, but sources said around 10 firms based in Ludhiana were being investigated in connection with this case as they had business links with the firms of the accused. However, it is yet to be established whether all the firms under the scanner belong to other businessmen or the accused was running them in their names.
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