Chinese fire crackers worth ₹9 crore seized

THE FIRE CRACKERS WERE SEIZED FROM

SIX BIG CONTAINERS AT THE INLAND CONTAINER DEPOT AT TUGHLAQABAD

NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday seized China-made fire crackers worth ₹9 crore from Tughlaqabad.

With three weeks to go for Diwali, the illegally imported fire crackers were seized from six big containers at the Inland Container Depot. During examination of the containers, DRI officers found a few cartons of bicycle saddles, bicycle iron baskets, steel wheel chairs, commode wheel chairs, walking sticks, etc, in the front portion of the containers. The back was filled with cartons of fire crackers that were kept hidden to avoid detection by the customs officers.

Recently, the Delhi government had written to Delhi police and traffic police urging them to increase their vigil and take necessary action about the arrival of any form of Chinese crackers in the Capital.

According to Debi Prasad Dash, principal additional director general of DRI, the goods were being transported as medical equipment for handicapped/disabled persons and as bicycle parts.

Another senior DRI official said that smugglers are using new modus operandi to dodge the authorities. One of them is to import Chinese fire crackers illegally without mentioning Made in China on them.

As per norms, the import of fire crackers is restricted. The fire crackers can be imported only against a license issued by the chief controller of explosives.

“The fire crackers had been imported by a Punjab-based importer allegedly using a dummy import-export code in connivance with a Delhi-based customs broker. Both of them were arrested on Sunday,” Dash said.

Considering the adverse impact of these smuggled fire crackers on the general health of the people and its hazardous effect on the environment, DRI has increased surveillance to check such illegal smuggling during the festive season.

So far this year, the Delhi zonal unit of the DRI has seized eight containers of fire crackers of market value of about ₹11 crore.