CBI books 3 custom officials in red sanders smuggling case
The inquiry further revealed that Pawar again demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh for himself and Ananthapadmanabha Rao, who was on duty that day, to avoid further action, and out of which Rs 5 lakh was to be paid immediately.
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The FIR was registered after CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry that revealed smuggling links between the accused
(File)The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked three customs officials and two others in connection with red sanders smuggling. The officials also face charges of receiving Rs 8 lakh in bribes.
The FIR was registered after CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry that revealed smuggling links between the accused, Venkatesh C and Ananthapadmanabha Rao K, both Superintendent of Customs at Air Cargo Complex in Devanahalli, and Customs inspector Ravinder Pawar, and two individuals, Satish Kumar T and Nazeeb Z. The red sanders was shipped after declaring them as industrial pipe spares sometime between June and July this year.
The inquiry revealed that Nazeeb had allegedly entered into a deal with Venkatesh (a suspended custom house agent) through Satish Kumar on the agreement that the official would be paid money for facilitating clearance to his shipments containing red sander wooden logs.
Nazeeb gave seven shipments of red sanders during the period from June to July 2021 to Satish Kumar. Sources said that the red sanders worth Rs 6 crore was supposed to be smuggled to Dubai.
The inquiry revealed that the first shipment containing red sanders was declared as industrial pipe spares in the name of exporter, Gurmehar Impex. When the shipment was picked up for open examination on June 3, Customs inspector Ravinder Pawar, who was on duty that time, demanded and received a bribe of Rs 12,000 from Suresh. Pawar allegedly took the bribe and submitted a false report stating that the items were the same as declared in the documents.
The inquiry further revealed that Pawar again demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh for himself and Ananthapadmanabha Rao, who was on duty that day, to avoid further action, and out of which Rs 5 lakh was to be paid immediately.
Red Sanders is high in demand across Asia for cosmetics, medicinal products, making furniture and other things. The export of red sanders, however, was prohibited in 2004 after it was listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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