Chattogram Customs House has seized a shipment of sarees, and lehengas worth around Tk 2.5 crore at Chattogram port.
The consignment was seized on Monday night. The consignment arrived at Chattogram Port under the name of Aziz Enterprises of Sadar Police Station of Feni District as Soda Ash Light.
According to the customs sources, the importer did not take any initiative to release the shipment from India on April 4. Goods are monitored by customs due to the type of shipment and port of export inconsistent information. Customs officials examined the shipment on Monday and found evidence of false declaration. The import value of the seized goods is around Tk 1 crore 11 lakhs. The total revenue stands at Tk 2 crore 53 lakh.
Deputy Commissioner of AIR Branch Md Saiful Haque said that the shipment is believed to have been brought for the purpose of evading customs duty due to the high demand for Indian sarees and lehengas during Eid-ul-Fitr. It appears that a large amount of foreign currency has been laundered by importing high duty sarees and lehengas in low duty soda ash consignments. Chattogram Custom House Commissioner Mohammad Faizur Rahman has ordered to take action against the importing company under the Customs Act 1969 and Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2012 for making false declarations and trying to evade revenue.