Rs 6-crore Chinese crackers seized, 1 held

NEW DELHI: A consignment of Chinese crackers worth Rs 6 crore was seized by the customs department at the inland container depot on Monday.
This is the biggest seizure of firecrackers by the customs at the container depot and the second big seizure of crackers from the time the state elections were announced. Last Thursday, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had seized crackers worth Rs 10 crore being imported illegally through the depot.
This time, the firecrackers were kept in four containers and hidden under a consignment of A4 papers. According to senior officers, customs officials of the special intelligence and investigations branch at the depot in Tughlakabad busted the racket. “The importer had declared his consignment wrongly. Electric capacitors and LED lights were also found. Total value of the items is 11.44 crore,” said Nilank Kumar, joint commissioner of customs, SIIB.
The officer also said the importer’s brother introduced himself as the actual controller of the import operations of his brother and admitted to have smuggled the crackers. He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigations are happening, the officer said.