The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated legal proceedings against Customs officials and private persons for allegedly operating a cartel that involved Customs officials and clearing agents who were clearing goods without paying Customs duty.
The CBI has registered six separate cases against the accused, including Customs Superintendents Brijesh Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Hemant Gethe, Keshav Pandhi, Vinod Kumar, and Alok Kumar, as well as Ashish Kamdar and Deepak Parekh.
According to the investigation, the cartel was using the passports of people who had lived abroad for more than two years to clear consignments of household items.
Customs officials and private persons were involved in a conspiracy to cause a wrongful loss to the government exchequer. Dutiable goods were imported under the Transfer of Residence provision by private persons and were given “Out of Charge” by the suspected Customs officials.
“Scrutiny of the documents/articles seized reveals that from 2020 till 2022, the accused Customs officials, while posted at UB Centre, Nhava Sheva, entered into a criminal conspiracy with Dahisar residents Ashish Kamdar and Deepak Parekh and unknown Customs officials and private persons to cause a wrongful loss to the government exchequer. Dutiable goods were imported under the Transfer of Residence provision by the private persons and were given “Out of Charge” by the suspected Customs officials,” the CBI claimed in its First Investigation Reports.
“When Deepak Parekh was examined, he revealed that his nephew Ashish Kamdar also works with him and they together deal in clearing household items under Transfer of Residence (TR). The clearing agents procure passports from various persons who have lived abroad for more than two years and use them for clearing consignments of household items of others as, if a person has lived abroad for more than two years, he/she can import used household goods by claiming exemption up to Rs 5 lakh.” the FIR framed by the Central Bureau of Investigation said.
The clearing agents have accomplices in Gulf countries who help them clear consignments of household items undervalued to a large extent. The Customs officials were allegedly involved in a fraud of around Rs 2.24 crore through the Hawala network.
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