Officials claimed on Tuesday that the CBI has detained two former deputy commissioners of the customs department stationed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House in Nhava Sheva, Maharashtra, for allegedly accepting payments from a middleman to allow illicit imports of goods. The federal agency claims that arrested officials Dinesh Fuldiya and Subhash Chandra, through intermediary Sudhir Padekar, assisted customs house agents in using the Customs Act’s “transfer of residence” clause. A person who has resided abroad for more than two years can import used home goods and claim an exemption of up to Rs 5 lakh under the Act’s provision for transfer of residence.
In a plot with the accused former customs officers, the customs house agents at Nhava Sheva obtained passports from various people who had lived abroad for more than two years and used the documents to clear consignments of household items of other ineligible people. The agents allegedly provided cash payments (lakhs of rupees) and expensive presents, including high-end goods and appliances, through Padekar, according to officials. The unlawful gratification was sent to various accounts and individuals known to the officers both through the banking channel and the “hawala” method, according to a source of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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