On March 19, 2023, at 0930 hours, troops of ICP Petrapole, 145 Battalion under South Bengal Frontier seized cosmetics, medicines, household items, and clothes worth more than Rs. 51.50 lakhs. The goods were being transported from India to Bangladesh via the Bandhan Express train.
The jawans on duty received information that a large quantity of cosmetics, medicines, household items, and clothes were going to be illegally transported on the Bandhan Express train from India to Bangladesh. Acting on this information, the company commander formed a search team. This train travels from Chitpur, Kolkata to Khulna, Bangladesh via Petrapole. The search team stopped the train at ICP Petrapole and conducted a thorough search of the train with the help of dogs and handlers. During the search, the team discovered 25 bundles containing the aforementioned goods.
The seized goods were handed over to the Customs Office at Petrapole for further legal action.
The spokesperson of the South Bengal Frontier expressed satisfaction with the jawans’ success and stated that it was a reflection of their vigilance. He added that BSF jawans will not allow smuggling or any other form of crime to take place on the border under any circumstances. He also stated that their intelligence department is investigating the people involved in this smuggling.
https://neindiabroadcast.com/2023/03/20/bsf-seizes-cosmetics-medicines-household-articles-and-clothes-worth-more-than-rupees-51-50-lakhs-from-the-bandhan-express-train-during-a-search-operation/
BSF Seizes Cosmetics, Medicines, Household Articles, And Clothes Worth More Than Rupees 51.50 Lakhs From The Bandhan Express Train During A Search Operation
Two nabbed with 6.5 kg contraband items in Manipur: Police
Chandel (Manipur) [India], March 18 (ANI): Two alleged smugglers were arrested and 6.5 kg contraband items, valued at over Rs 5 crore in the international market, were seized from them from TuinganDung Nala in Chandel district here, police said on Saturday.
According to a police statement, based on specific input, Sajik Tampak Batallion of Assam Rifles launched a search operation in the General area TuinganDung Nala, near Lebonan Village in Chandel district on March 15.
During the search and frisking operation, two individuals were found in possession of 2.5 kg of heroin and 4 kg of opium, the statement added.
The seized contraband items are assessed to be valued at Rs 5,02,80,000 in the international market, police said. The recovered items along with the smugglers were handed over to Chakpikarong Police Station for further investigation.
Last month, in a similar incident, the Assam Rifles foiled a smuggling bid and recovered contraband drugs valued at Rs 6 crore during a checking operation along with the arrest of a drug smuggler in Manipur’s Chandel district, officials said.
The official said that a mobile vehicle check post was established in the general area of Aisi Village in Mizoram based on credible input.
https://theprint.in/india/two-nabbed-with-6-5-kg-contraband-items-in-manipur-police/1454791/
17.7 lakh cigarettes seized at Kolkata airport destroyed.
KOLKATA: A stock of 17.7 lakh sticks of smuggled cigarettes of various foreign brands — valued at over Rs 1 crore — that had been seized and was lying at Kolkata airport for several months was destroyed on Monday.
The cigarettes were destroyed at a facility of West Bengal Waste Management in Haldia under the supervision of Customs officials.
In recent years, the Indian government has made a concerted attempt to curb cigarette smuggling as the foreign cigarettes are on an average 50% cheaper in India and the market size is huge — almost one third of the total cigarettes market.
According to an annual DRI report, 11 crore cigarette sticks valued at Rs 93 crore were seized from various airports in India in 2021-22.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/17-7l-cigarettes-seized-at-airport-destroyed/articleshow/98645771.cms
1.5-kg gold seized at Amritsar airport
Customs department has arrested a passenger on his arrival from Sharjah, with the recovery of 1.5 kilograms of gold from his possession, at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar, officials said on Monday. The recovered gold’s price is pegged at ₹ 86,41,200, the officials added.
Customs department has arrested a passenger on his arrival from Sharjah, with the recovery of 1.5 kilograms of gold from his possession, at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar, officials said on Monday. The recovered gold’s price is pegged at ₹ 86,41,200, the officials added.
“On the basis of profiling and suspicious activity, one passenger coming from Sharjah via Indigo Flight number 6E48 on Sunday was intercepted by Customs officials. On searching his belongings, 13 gold biscuits weighing altogether 1516 grams having market value of ₹ 86,41,200 were found concealed in three liquor bottles,” said a spokesperson of Customs. He said the gold has been seized and the passenger has been arrested. Further investigations are in progress.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/15kg-gold-seized-at-amritsar-airport-101678713953997.html
Fake Puma clothes worth ₹5.8 lakh seized in Khar; 5 booked
Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch seized clothes worth ₹5.82 lakh, which were allegedly the ‘first copies’ of the international clothing brand – Puma. The cops booked the five owners of the shop in Khar, which had huge stocks of fake clothes.
A local representative of Gurgaon-based RNA IP Attorneys, who represent the Germany-headquartered brand in India, had filed a complaint about breaching copyright. Accordingly, he, along with cops from the property cell of the crime branch visited the five stores on Friday.
“We visited all the stores. All of them had a lot of clothes of our brand stocked. When the police asked them to present the documents that authorized them to sell out clothing, they couldn’t show them,” states the complaint.
Then, samples were collected for testing and other duplicate clothes like t-shirts, track pants, jackets, etc worth ₹5.8 lakh were seized.
As the attorneys of the company, its representatives work towards protecting its manufacturing copyrights in the country. As such they are always on the lookout for places that sell duplicate clothing of the brand by copying its logo through screen printing. The attorneys have their network of informants who let them know of places where such duplicate or fake branded clothes are sold.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/fake-puma-clothes-worth-5-8-lakh-seized-in-khar-5-booked-101678647924886.html
Mumbai: CISF official foils bid to smuggle out ₹1.55 cr in hand baggage at city airport
CISF staff at integrated security held three of a Mumbai family, a man, his wife and his sister-in-law, who were travelling to Bangkok on Saturday night with baggage that consisted of bulky wedding gifts.
An alert Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport foiled a bid to smuggle foreign currency by intercepting the suspect passengers, leading to the seizure of US$ 1.90 lakh (valued at Rs 1.55 crore) concealed in their hand baggage.
The repeated seizure of foreign currency by the CISF in the integrated security hold after immigration clearance at the CSIM highlights the failure of Airport Customs and the Air Intelligence Unit deployed to prevent smuggling, even as bona fide passengers are harassed with rampant extortion on the pretext of collecting customs duty.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-csif-official-foils-bid-to-smuggle-out-155-cr-in-hand-baggage-at-city-airport
BSF Jawans Foil Smuggling Attempts On Indo-Bangladesh Border, Arrest Three Passengers
BSF troops detained three passport-bearing passengers with cosmetics and 21,000 Bangladeshi Taka at ICP Petrapole, located on the Indo-Bangladesh International Border under South Bengal Frontier. The estimated value of seized goods is Rs. 2,06,690.
On March 9, 2023, jawans of 145 Battalion, Sector Kolkata, based on intelligence inputs, conducted a special search operation near the passengers’ gate at ICP Petrapole on the international border. Meanwhile, three suspicious passengers going from India to Bangladesh were stopped by the jawans for search. During the search, a large quantity of cosmetics and 21,000 Bangladeshi Taka were recovered from their bags. The apprehended passengers were identified as Zulfikar Mandal (25), Uttam Kumar Adhikari (53), and Zakir Hussain (29) of village Bangaon, district North 24 Parganas.
During preliminary interrogation, the apprehended passengers revealed that they had bought these goods from the local market and were going to sell them after taking them to Bangladesh.
The apprehended passengers were handed over to Petrapole Customs along with the seized baggage.
https://neindiabroadcast.com/2023/03/10/bsf-jawans-foil-smuggling-attempts-on-indo-bangladesh-border-arrest-three-passengers/
Man arrested for smuggling sea cucumbers in Tamil Nadu
MADURAI: Wildlife officials arrested a man for smuggling 25 kg of sea cucumbers in Tuticorin in the early hours of Tuesday. The sea cucumber is a species protected under the Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Forest guard A Balaji and supernumerary plot watcher Robinston from Tuticorin range of the Ramanathapuram wildlife division were on night patrol around 2am when they spotted a man riding on a two-wheeler in a suspicious manner behind St Mary’s College. They found 25 kg of sea cucumbers in two sacks on the two-wheeler.
Kaja Maideen of Mettupatti, who was smuggling the sea cucumbers, was taken to Tuticorin forest range office for interrogation. A case was registered against him.
He has been remanded in judicial custody.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/man-arrested-for-smuggling-sea-cucumbers-in-tamil-nadu/articleshow/98472117.cms?from=mdr
Gold worth Rs 10.28 crore seized from Dubai-returned passenger at Chandigarh airport
LUDHIANA: A team of the Ludhiana Customs Commissionerate deployed at the Chandigarh International Airport seized gold worth over Rs 10.28 crore from a Dubai-returned passenger on Friday.
Customs officials said that raids are being conducted at several places, including Khanna in Punjab as part of further investigation into the case.
Customs commissioner Vrindaba Gohil said, “On March 3, a Dubai-Chandigarh Indigo Flight No 6E56 landed at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. The customs officers deployed at the airport had shortlisted a 30-year-old passenger based on analysis of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) and intercepted him. The officers detected and recovered 18 bars of 1kg each of pure gold bearing marking “ETIHAD GOLD DUBAI UAE” having 995.0 purity.”
Gohil also added, “The contraband gold was packed in a tiny hand-held bag which the passenger cleverly thrusted into one of his checked-in bags after collecting them from the baggage conveyor belt.
The market value of the seized gold is Rs 10,28,16,000. The passenger was a first-time traveller to Dubai.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/gold-worth-rs-10-28-crore-seized-from-dubai-returned-passenger-at-chandigarh-airport/articleshow/98412495.cms?from=mdr
RAK confiscates 214,000 counterfeit clothes from 28 fashion brands
Ras Al Khaimah, UAE: Anti-counterfeiting operatives of the Department of Economic Development (DED) and Police in Ras Al Khaimah seized 214,000 pieces of knock-off clothing with an original value of Dh91 million from a warehouse during the first quarter of 2023.
The enforcement action followed immediately upon the discovery of counterfeit goods and complaints filed by a legal entity entrusted by the trademark owners in the emirate.
Representatives of the brand owners reported the existence of a warehouse in one of the districts of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah containing counterfeit clothing bearing the logos of 28 international brands.
Faisal Elyoun, Director of the Department of Control and Commercial Protection, explained that the department had received a complaint stating that a company from outside the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah was practicing commercial fraud by storing counterfeit goods in abandoned warehouses inside the emirate.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/rak-confiscates-214000-counterfeit-clothes-from-28-fashion-brands-1.1677738667868