Foreign cigarettes worth Tk9cr seized at Ctg port

Chattogram Customs officials today (December 1) seized a container of foreign brand cigarettes worth Tk 9 crore in evaded income from the Chattogram port.

Dr Rajeeb Hossain, Assistant Commissioner, Chattogram Custom House, said: “The Customs Audit, Investigation and Research Department intercepted the consignment and conducted a physical examination at the port.

It was found to contain 74 lakh cigarettes packed in 740 cartons, falsely declared as household items to avoid paying taxes.”

The batch was imported from Thailand under the name of Khyaati Leather Innovation BD Ltd, a company located in the Ishwardi Export Processing Zone (EPZ).

Cigarette brands included LAMER Nano Silver, Nano Grey, Nano Blue and Nano White.

The taxable value of the cargo was estimated at Tk 1.5 crore, with a revenue potential of around Tk 9 crore.

Customs officials said legal action would be taken under the Customs Act to identify and prosecute those involved in the fraud.

When contacted, Khyaati Leather Innovation BD Ltd denied any involvement in the shipment.

Rajesh Satyapal Uppal, director of the company said, “We are an Indian company and we have not imported any products for the last one and a half years. We are still waiting for the bond license. Without it, we cannot import, the gang probably misused our company name for this cargo.”

Earlier, on September 5, customs officers reported that they seized 11,676 liters of imported alcohol falsely declared as fabric.

Similarly, on June 27, they intercepted 5 million cigarettes incorrectly declared as water purifiers.