Even after several recent cases of customs officers being suspended for aiding and abetting in smuggling at the Air Cargo Complex at Mumbai, the organised corruption racket continues unabated at the Cargo Complex.
In October 2015, a major smuggling racket in connivance with corrupt customs officers was busted at Sahar Air Cargo by the Air Preventive Unit (APU) wherein 100 kgs of Silver Jewellery and 20000 pieces of pen drives were seized. The value of the goods was more than Rs 2 crores. Sources inform that the vigilance action against the customs officers in this case has been aborted.
In another case in September 2018, the CBI trapped and arrested an Assistant Commissioner of Customs at Air Cargo Complex and booked another Appraiser in a case of demand and acceptance of a bribe of Rs 2,000 from the complainant for assessment of bills of entry and final assessment of his consignment.
Then, last year two Assistant Commissioners and several Appraisers and Examiners from Cargo Complex were suspended for involvement in separate cases in smuggling of guns as toys without police No Objection Certificate (NoC) and clearance of mobile covers and accessories at low values causing huge loss of import duty. The departmental vigilance cases against these officers are still pending while in the case of five examiners, chargesheets have been filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) by the CBI.
Despite so many officers being caught for their involvement in aiding and abetting smuggling, corruption at Air Cargo Complex continues unabated. In a well organised modus operandi, the officers, (mostly at the level of IRS Group A) utilise the services of trusted CHA boys, known as collectors, to receive bribes on their behalf for allowing imports at the lowest values or by overlooking conditions and restrictions imposed under the Tariff Act for their imports. The government loses a huge amount of revenue on this account while the importers and corrupt officers fill their pockets.
In recent cases, involvement of several Assistant and Deputy Commissioners posted at the Cargo Complex have been detected by the Air Cargo Vigilance Department including one case of huge financial transactions for purchase of benami property through a Customs Broker Jitendra Bajpayee alias Jitu. The Deputy Commissioner is now posted at the Mumbai International Airport.
28/07/19 Rajiv Singh/India Legal
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In October 2015, a major smuggling racket in connivance with corrupt customs officers was busted at Sahar Air Cargo by the Air Preventive Unit (APU) wherein 100 kgs of Silver Jewellery and 20000 pieces of pen drives were seized. The value of the goods was more than Rs 2 crores. Sources inform that the vigilance action against the customs officers in this case has been aborted.
In another case in September 2018, the CBI trapped and arrested an Assistant Commissioner of Customs at Air Cargo Complex and booked another Appraiser in a case of demand and acceptance of a bribe of Rs 2,000 from the complainant for assessment of bills of entry and final assessment of his consignment.
Then, last year two Assistant Commissioners and several Appraisers and Examiners from Cargo Complex were suspended for involvement in separate cases in smuggling of guns as toys without police No Objection Certificate (NoC) and clearance of mobile covers and accessories at low values causing huge loss of import duty. The departmental vigilance cases against these officers are still pending while in the case of five examiners, chargesheets have been filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) by the CBI.
Despite so many officers being caught for their involvement in aiding and abetting smuggling, corruption at Air Cargo Complex continues unabated. In a well organised modus operandi, the officers, (mostly at the level of IRS Group A) utilise the services of trusted CHA boys, known as collectors, to receive bribes on their behalf for allowing imports at the lowest values or by overlooking conditions and restrictions imposed under the Tariff Act for their imports. The government loses a huge amount of revenue on this account while the importers and corrupt officers fill their pockets.
In recent cases, involvement of several Assistant and Deputy Commissioners posted at the Cargo Complex have been detected by the Air Cargo Vigilance Department including one case of huge financial transactions for purchase of benami property through a Customs Broker Jitendra Bajpayee alias Jitu. The Deputy Commissioner is now posted at the Mumbai International Airport.
28/07/19 Rajiv Singh/India Legal
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