DRI seizes 42 kg of smuggled gold
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 42 kg of smuggled gold worth ₹16.50 crore and arrested 10 persons in operations conducted in Kolkata, Raipur and Mumbai. “Over the past two days, the DRI has busted a pro-active gold smuggling syndicate. It led to the seizure of 42 kg of smuggled gold and jewellery weighing more than 500 gm,” said an official.
The operation was launched on an intelligence input that gold smuggled in from Bangladesh had been kept in a flat of one Govind Malviya alias Govind Lal Lohar, another flat of his associate Firoj Mulla and his shop in different parts of Kolkata.
A total of 26.650 kg of gold in the form of bars, biscuits, cut pieces and jewellery weighing 552.030 gm were found on the residential premises. “Seven persons, Govind Malviya, Anna Ram, Mahendra Kumar, Firoj Mulla, Suraj Magabul Mulla, Kailash Jagtap and Vishal Ankush Mane, were arrested under the Customs Act,” the official said.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dri-seizes-42-kg-of-smuggled-gold/article30272996.ece
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Man caught smuggling cigarettes hidden in loaves of bread at Woodlands Checkpoint
SINGAPORE: A Malaysian man was caught on Sunday (Dec 8) attempting to smuggle into Singapore 32 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in loaves of bread.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said the 52-year-old man was carrying four loaves of bread and had been behaving suspiciously at the Woodlands Checkpoint’s arrival hall.
ICA officers stopped him and found cigarette packs sandwiched between the slices of bread. The case has been referred to Singapore Customs for further investigation, ICA said.
“This method of concealment is a cause for concern as similar methods may be used by people with ill intent to smuggle security items into Singapore,” ICA added. This is not the first time that food items have been used to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Singapore.
In February, a Malaysian man was caught at Woodlands Checkpoint with packets of cigarettes in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. More than 2,000 cartons of duty-unpaid cigarettes were also found hidden in ice boxes of seafood at Woodlands Checkpoint in November last year.
Lear More23-year-old Kalbadevi jeweller bought 180 kg smuggled gold in a year, arrested by DRI
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested a 23-year-oldKalbadevi jeweller on Monday for allegedly receiving 180 kilos of smuggled gold in just the past 10 months.
At today’s bullion rates, the gold Sahil Jain received is worth Rs 66 crore. While gold smuggling is nothing new, Jain’s arrest has revealed that the amount of contraband gold entering Mumbai every year may be many times more than earlier estimated.
Jain was arrested after a tip-off received by DRI’s Mumbai Zonal Unit led it to a passenger travelling from Kolkata on Howrah Express. Identified as Gopa Ram by the DRI, the 36-year-old passenger was carrying 6.9 kg of gold to be delivered to Jain. The gold was concealed in the inner lining of a jacket.
There has been a spike in contraband gold entering Mumbai ever since the import duty on the precious metal was increased from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent. Still, just one jeweller receiving such a large quantity of smuggled gold in just under a year has surprised DRI officers.
Lear MoreJeweller among two arrested in gold smuggling racket
MUMBAI: The Directorate Revenue of Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday arrested a jeweller from Kalbadevi and a businessman from Andhra Pradesh for their alleged involvement in a gold smuggling racket. The officials seized 7kg gold worth Rs 3 crore that was illegally smuggled from Dubai. The DRI has already arrested more than one dozen people in the ongoing investigation in the racket.
According to sources, the DRI Kolkata unit recently got a tipoff that a gold-smuggling gang was operating from Kolkata, Mumbai and Rajpur via Bangladesh through the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Based on information gathered from various zonal DRIs, in October, officials raided various places in the three cities and recovered 41kg gold worth Rs 12.5 crore. During investigation, the officials learnt that Goparam Vagtaram, a businessman from Andhra Pradesh, used to ferry the gold to Mumbai. “We kept a vigil on him and finally on Sunday, caught him red-handed when he was travelling to Mumbai on Howrah-LTT Samarsata Express. “We found four gold bars weighing a total 7kg concealed in his clothes,” said an official.
Lear MoreHP seized fake products worth Rs 80 crores in India
HP has announced that it was able to seize counterfeit products worth Rs 80 crores in India in the past year with its Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud (ACF) Programme in the country.
The programme helps in combating the production, distribution, and sale of counterfeit ink and toner printing supplies. The company has revealed that the Delhi-National Capital Region leads the country in seizures worth Rs 33.5 crores. Bangalore came a close second with seizure worth Rs 22 crores, followed by Mumbai and Chennai with Rs 6.5 and Rs 3.5 crores respectively.
The brand revealed that law enforcement authorities conducted raids at over 170 premises resulting in 144 arrests across India. Among the products seized during the raids were finished and unfinished cartridges, packaging materials, and various sets of labels. These seized cartridges and labels were used to manufacture counterfeit HP printing supplies.
https://www.themobileindian.com/news/hp-seized-fake-products-worth-rs-80-crores-in-india-28964
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Beware of counterfeit: Fake Xiaomi products worth 13 lacs seized in New Delhi
Counterfeit products include mobile accessories including a few which weren’t even launched officially in India
Famous Chinese tech company Xiaomi today shared a piece of shocking news where four suppliers were held for selling counterfeit Xiaomi branded products in Gaffar Market, New Delhi.
Upon receiving the information about the illicit trade, the company filed a complaint with the local police, and a raid was conducted on November 25th, where the police officers seized more than two thousand fake Xiaomi products worth Rs 13 lacs. The counterfeit products included Mi Powerbanks, Mi Neckbands, Mi Travel Adaptor with Cable, Mi Earphone Basic with Mic, Mi Wireless Headsets, Redmi Air Dots, Mi 2-in-1 USB Cable, etc.
Following the investigation, police found out that the suppliers have been selling the product clones for years now, in both wholesale and retail.
Lear More4 Kashmiri men held at airport for smuggling Indian currency
Four Kashmiri men were arrested by the customs officials, in coordination with the Military Intelligence and the CISF, at Delhi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country Rs 40 lakh for “possible use in the Valley”, officials said on Thursday.
It is for the first time that Indian currency in such a large quantity has been seized, they said.
The four men were intercepted at the airport after their arrival from Jeddah on Tuesday, the officials said.
An amount of Rs 39.14 lakh was seized from them, the officials said, adding the operation was done in coordination with the Military Intelligence and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
“It is for the first time that such a large amount of Indian currency has been seized. The accused intended to travel to Jammu but were caught before they could board the flight. The money is suspected to have meant for its possible use in the Valley (Kashmir),” an official said, wishing anonymity.
http://www.risingkashmir.com/news/4-kashmiri-men-held-at-airport-for-smuggling-indian-currency
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Bengaluru: Fake water filters seized, one held
BENGALURU: Poor drinking water quality and rising anxiety levels among health-conscious Bengalureans are being exploited by those selling counterfeit products. The latest to join the bandwagon is fake replacement water filters.
J P Nagar police raided a shop selling water purifiers and related accessories and found fake replacement filters being sold with the logo of a popular brand. “With most households installing filters fearing poor quality of drinking water, the market for replacement water filters is huge. Counterfeit operators are taking advantage of this and selling fake reverse osmosis (RO) filters,” a police officer said.
JP Nagar shop owner Muniraj has been arrested for allegedly stocking ordinary filters, membranes and other spare parts and selling them by putting the logo and stickers of reputed companies. Police seized fake stickers of Kent water filters along with 19 kits – each comprised an RO membrane, carbon filter, sediment filter, post carbon filter & UF membrane. Police said Muniraj operated through a distribution network that specialised in fake RO products.
Lear MoreChinese man arrested at Nepal airport with 1kg of gold hidden up his backside
Eagle-eyed customs officers at Nepal’s Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport have arrested a man with 1kg of gold concealed inside his rectum.
The Chinese national, named by the Himalayan Times as 22-year-old Sa Luitui, was pulled to one side by security workers at the airport after they noticed he was walking in a peculiar fashion.
Having arrived on a Tibet Air flight from China, the man was asked to pass through an x-ray machine after his discomfort was noticed by officers at the arrivals gate.
Once he had walked through the machine, it was determined he was carrying a quantity of metal concealed inside his body. When questioned, he admitted he had inserted gold up his backside.
He was taken to a local hospital where doctors extracted the gold, which had been placed inside a condom. One end of the condom was left sticking out of the man’s rectum to aid retrieval of the contraband.
Lear MoreDh2.5 million worth of fake products seized in Dubai raids
Dubai Police General HQ has confiscated as many as 25,5600 thousand of counterfeit fire prevention products, worth Dh2.5 million.
The Department of Combating Economic Crimes of the General Department of Criminal investigations at Dubai Police worked in partnership with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) Middle East, a technology security company, and Ten Intelligence, an anti-counterfeit operation to organize an anti-counterfeit campaign.
Brigadier Jamal Salem Al-Jallaf, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigations, said that the department, acting on a tip-off, succeeded to raid two storehouses at Ras Al Khor Industrial Area in Dubai and seize knock-off fire prevention products including many devices and accessories.
“The lack of quality in counterfeits is harmful to consumers threatening their safety since these fake products do not meet the standards of safety and security. It also causes damages to the country’s economy and the original trademark owners,” Al-Jallaf added.
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