One of the biggest smuggling racked was exposed by the DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence) team in Goa involving the whopping 5.4 crore rupees. The DRI detained two culprits involved in the smuggling of the foreign cigarettes into the state. This is the first such exposure of the smuggling in the state that involves the assistant commissioner of customs and central excise.
It is highly disgraceful that the person on the post of assistant commissioner of excise has his involvement in smuggling the foreign good into the country. The government servant who supposes to be keeping the vigil on such activities is found to be one of the ring leaders in smuggling, said the sources.
According to the reports published in the Times of India In a major crackdown of a smuggling racket, sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and two teams of Goa police swooped down on an alleged “smuggler” and an assistant commissioner of customs, both residing in the state.
the person on the post of assistant commissioner of excise have his involvement into smuggling the foreign good into the country. The government servant who supposes to be keeping the vigil on such activities is found to be one of the ringleaders in a smuggling
According to the police sources, the alleged smugglers were identified as Parminder Singh Chadha and the assistant commissioner of customs and central excise as Mahesh Desai.
The two were allegedly the ringleaders in a smuggling racket, which DRI has valued at more than Rs 5.4 crore, said sources.
The police said that the both the accused Parminder Singh Chadha and the assistant commissioner of customs and central excise as Mahesh Desai were detained on Monday evening, but later the customs official Dessai was admitted to hospital after he complained of uneasiness.
The sources said that two were involved in the smuggling of foreign cigarettes into the state and later same were spread on the other part of the country.
Chadha’s wife was earlier nabbed for smuggling 4kg of gold and since then officials have had an eye on the couple, officials said. “These two are the key organisers in the smuggling racket which has been going on since April 2017,” said a source.
The source added that the two have been detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act. Desai complained of chest pain and was admitted to Asilo hospital in Mapusa.
The assistant commissioner would ensure that the consignment was not checked. Every week one consignment would come in
It may be recalled that the DRI team had conducted a raid on the resident of Mahesh Desai who resides in a posh locality of Miramar. The DRI team had seized consignments of foreign cigarettes after raids at several places, including Desai’s Miramar residence. The DRI team had raided warehouses in Dhargalim and even storage areas at Dabolim airport.
“The assistant commissioner would ensure that the consignment was not checked. Every week one consignment would come in,” the source said. The official went on to say that the cigarettes were procured from foreign suppliers and once brought into India, they were transported through various routes.
Officials have been on Chadha’s trail for a long time but their suspicions grew stronger after October 19 when a single consignment of Rs 5.4 crore of imported cigarettes was confiscated. DRI officials refused to comment on the case and said that the investigation was on to identify the entire smuggling ring.
