Rajasthan Bypolls: Illicit Liquor, Cash Worth Over Rs 79 Lakh Seized in Vallabhnagar, Dhariawa
Illicit liquor, cash, narcotics substances and other material worth over Rs 79 lakh was seized in Rajasthan’s Vallabhnagar and Dhariawa assembly constituencies where bypolls are scheduled on October 30, officials said.
Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said from the day the by-elections were announced for Vallabhnagar and Dhariawad till October 21, various items worth Rs 79.29 lakh have been confiscated.
He said strict vigil is being maintained by the departments concerned in the constituencies and immediate action is being taken on any suspicious activity. Voting in both the assembly constituencies will be held on October 30 and the counting will take place on November 2.
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Over five million illegal cigarettes seized from retail outlets in the first six months of the year
Over five million illegal cigarettes have been seized from retail outlets in the first six months of the year as part of a joint initiative to tackle the illegal tobacco trade.
The haul of illicit products also includes more than 1,700kg of hand rolled tobacco and 66kg of shisha.
In total, more than £2.7 million pounds worth of illegal tobacco products have been taken off streets across England and Wales since the operation launched in January 2021.
The illegal cigarettes were seized as part of Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between the National Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Operation CeCe is part of a wider government strategy to disrupt every aspect of the illegal tobacco market, from front-line retailers to global Organised Crime Groups who drive the illicit trade, smuggling tobacco internationally on a grand scale.
The strategy includes tackling supply lines at source by shutting down illegal factories, intercepting smuggled product and cash at the border and disrupting those individuals selling the product in shops and markets. All of which is achieved through close collaboration with law enforcement and other partners.
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Over 12,000 bottles of illicit liquor destroyed in Ahmedabad
A prohibition seizure destruction drive was organised in Gota area of Ahmedabad Wednesday afternoon, in which a total of 12,384 bottles of IMFL worth Rs 72.92 lakh were destroyed using bulldozer.
Over 12,000 bottles of illicit Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) seized by the city police were destroyed in a drive organised in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
According to the police, a prohibition seizure destruction drive was organised in Gota area of Ahmedabad Wednesday afternoon, in which a total of 12,384 bottles of IMFL worth Rs 72.92 lakh were destroyed using a bulldozer by the city police in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of police (Zone 1) Ravindra Patel.
“The seized illicit liquor from five police stations — Sola High Court police station, Naranpura police station, Vastrapur police station, Vadaj police station and Ghatlodia police station — was destroyed in the presence of senior police, administrative and prohibition department officials on Wednesday,” said a senior police official.
Lear More600 kgs of smuggled sea cucumber worth $4 million seized in India’s southern Tamil Nadu coast
An Indian Coast Guard (ICG) team in southern Tamil Nadu state seized 600 kilograms of sea cucumber from a small boat that was involved in smuggling.
The market value of seized sea cucumbers is said to be around Rs 30 million ($400,000 approximately).
Based on a tip-off, the ICG team tracked the suspect vessel at Mandapam, Ramanathapuram district, and cordoned off the road to block their escape.
Subsequently, the boat was found to be anchored off Uchhipalli coast in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday afternoon.
The Coast Guard teams then rummaged the vessel and recovered 31 gunny bags of sea cucumber weighing 600 kgs. The boat, along with seized sea cucumbers, were then brought to Mandapam and handed over to the forest department officials.
Sea cucumbers are an important constituent of the marine ecosystem as they play a key role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
By excreting the inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, sea cucumbers enhance the productivity of benthic animals —those living on the ocean floor.
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Zim loses US$30m to smuggled washing powder
Zimbabwe is losing approximately US$30 million a year through the smuggling of Maq washing powder, a report by the Detergents Manufacturers Association (DMA) claims.
About US$12 million is foregone annually through tax evasion while US$18 million is externalised to purchase the product before it is smuggled through Zimbabwe’s porous borders, the association said.
“It can be calculated that the government is losing approximately US$30 million a year just through the smuggling of a single product into Zimbabwe, Maq washing powder, as US$12 million is foregone annually through evaded taxes and US$18 million is externalised out of Zimbabwe to purchase the smuggled product from South Africa,” a recent DMA report read.
“Smuggling is, therefore, not only a significant problem for the industry and the workforce, but also for the government and the economy as a significant amount of revenue is lost due to the evasion of duties and taxes because of the smuggling.”
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/10/zim-loses-us30m-to-smuggled-washing-powder/
Lear More‘Money, liquor flowingfreely in Huzurabad’
Hyderabad: Seizure of Rs 1.57 crore during the Huzurabad bypoll campaign was only the tip of the iceberg compared to the actual amount being spent by parties, according to independent observers.
Police and excise officials have also seized liquor worth Rs 53 lakh, about 3.5 kg of ganja, 30 gm gold and 14 kg silver so far. Observers said with the campaign temperature rising, both the ruling party as well as the opposition were going all out to woo the voters by pumping in huge amount of money and liquor.
Telangana chief electoral officer Shashank Goel said, “I have held a review meeting with all departments, including income tax, excise and police at Karimnagar. They were asked not to allow any money or liquor or any other means of luring voters. They are conducting checks frequently. There are three observers posted. Inter-disciplinary teams are also in action. We have been booking Model Code of Conduct violations.”
Goel further said, “Political parties are filing complaints against each other. We are forwarding the same to district authorities and returning officers to check the veracity. Reports are sent to ECI. We had a meeting with representatives of the political parties where several issues were discussed.”
Lear MoreGujarat: Liquor seized from milk truck, one held
According to the police, a team of Local Crime Branch (LCB) Gandhinagar intercepted an Amul milk truck and a pilot four-wheeler vehicle on the Sonipur Kolvada road in Gandhinagar Saturday.
Police in Gandhinagar seized over 7,000 bottles of illicit Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) being smuggled in an “Amul” milk truck Saturday and arrested one accused.
According to the police, a team of Local Crime Branch (LCB) Gandhinagar intercepted an Amul milk truck and a pilot four-wheeler vehicle on the Sonipur Kolvada road in Gandhinagar Saturday.
Police said a total of 7,668 IMFL bottles worth Rs 9 lakh was allegedly found from the Amul truck. “Based on specific input, a team of LCB, headed by police inspector JH Sindhav, intercepted an Amul truck and a four-wheeler piloting it on the Sonipur Kovada road. We have managed to apprehend one accused–Kalpesh Vaghela, an Ahmedabad resident –from the truck. Vaghela told us that an accused named Sonu Sindhi from Shahibaug had smuggled the IMFL from Rajasthan and the accused were bringing it to Ahmedabad in the Amul truck. Sindhi is wanted in the prohibition case now. A total of 7,668 bottles, consisting of whiskey and beer, have been seized from the truck. Further investigation is on in the case,” said a senior police official.
Lear MoreCustoms seizes P545 million smuggled goods in Q3
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs confiscated more than P545 million worth of smuggled crops as of end-September, as well as filed cases against dozens of importers and brokers as part of efforts to improve border security.
The BOC seized a total of P545.06 million in agricultural products, mostly rice, onion and garlic, from operations it conducted from January to September.
Only three commodities accounted for nearly 83 percent of the value at P452.28 million, namely, rice (P206.8 million), onion (P190.48 million) and garlic (P55 million).
The BOC filed 14 lawsuits before the Department of Justice in a bid to punish 41 individuals involved in the smuggling of farm goods. The agency said these importers and brokers tried to smuggled P85.2 million worth of agricultural products into the domestic market.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/10/16/2134589/customs-seizes-p545-million-smuggled-goods-q3
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Ahmedabad: Three arrested with Rs 3.2 lakh in fake notes
AHMEDABAD: Three persons, including a woman, were arrested from CTM for possessing counterfeit currency notes, with a face value of Rs 3.21 lakh. The notes were of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denominations.
One of the accused, Vikesh Vaniyar, a resident of Khokhra, tried to commit suicide by strangling himself, but was rescued. The two other accused were identified as Surendranagar resident Mitesh Vaghela and Ahmedabad resident Alka Joshi.
The three had 242 notes of Rs 500 and 100 notes of Rs 2,000. The cops also recovered Rs 1,700 in genuine notes from them. DCP Achal Tyagi said the the three accused brought the counterfeit notes from Salem in Tamil Nadu at the request of two people from the city. He said teams will be sent to Tamil Nadu for probe as they have not got evidence that the notes were printed in Gujarat.
“We are matching the quality of notes with those seized in Odisha,” he said. He said fake notes with a face value Rs 15 lakh were seized in Odisha in August, and were found to have been printed there.
Lear MoreGang with fake currency notes arrested
Police seized counterfeit notes to the tune of ₹4.56 crore and arrested a gang involved in conning public through sorcery here in Krishnagiri.
The arrests were made over the weekend, after the police intercepted an Andhra Pradesh registered vehicle that eventually led them to the gang housed in a rented accommodation at Sathya Sai Nagar near Tamil Nadu Housing Board on Rayakottai road here.
According to the police, a car was intercepted near Rayakottai underbridge here following a tip-off that a gang was roaming around the town conning people into parting with their money on the promise that the money would be doubled through sorcery using a metal pot.
Upon interrogation of three persons, later named accused, L.Ganesan (38) of Karaikudi, V.Ramesh (52) and R.Imran Khan (30) of Andhra Pradesh in the car, police were led to a rented accommodation near Tamil Nadu Housing Board.
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