India News | CBI Arrests 2 Former Customs Officials in Bribery Case
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The CBI has arrested two former deputy commissioners of the customs department posted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva in Maharashtra for allegedly taking bribes from a middleman to allow illegal import of goods, officials said on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The CBI has arrested two former deputy commissioners of the customs department posted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, Nhava Sheva in Maharashtra for allegedly taking bribes from a middleman to allow illegal import of goods, officials said on Tuesday.
The federal agency has alleged that arrested officers Dinesh Fuldiya and Subhash Chandra, through middleman Sudhir Padekar, helped the customs house agents exploit the "transfer of residence" clause of the Customs Act.
According to the provision for transfer of residence under the Act, a person who has lived abroad for more than two years can import used household goods by claiming an exemption of up to Rs 5 lakh.
The customs house agents at Nhava Sheva procured passports from various people who lived abroad for more than two years and used the documents for clearing consignments of household items of other ineligible persons, in a conspiracy with the accused former customs officials.
The agents allegedly made payments in cash (lakhs of rupees) and costly gifts, including high-end gadgets and appliances, through Padekar, the officials said.
The illegal gratification collected for the purpose was routed to different accounts and individuals known to the officers both through the banking channel and the "hawala" route, a spokesperson of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.
"Searches were conducted at seven places, including at Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Patna and Samastipur (Bihar), Khargon district (Madhya Pradesh) etc. at the premises of the accused and their accomplices, which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents and articles," he added.
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