DRI's Bold Move: Seizing Smuggled Goods with Pakistani Ties

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has taken stringent action by confiscating 28 containers filled with Pakistani-origin cosmetics and dry dates valued at approximately Rs 12 crore at the Nhava Sheva port in Navi Mumbai. This move is part of an ongoing effort to enforce the government's prohibition on importing goods from Pakistan.

An official statement indicates that three Indian importers acquired these illegal consignments, which were routed through Dubai's Jebel Ali port using false invoices and misdeclared as UAE products. A Dubai-based Indian national was instrumental in orchestrating these complex transactions to obscure the true origins of the goods.

Following the recent ban imposed after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the DRI launched 'Operation Deep Manifest' to unmask and seize goods bypassing the ban. The operation led to the arrest of a customs broker and a key supplier who facilitated these transactions, including the illicit movement of money between India and Pakistan.

(With inputs from agencies.)