Mumbai: Customs sleuths seize used laptops, computer parts worth Rs 4.11 crore at Nhava Sheva

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The Customs agency confiscated 4,600 used computers and nearly 1,000 computer parts worth Rs 4.11 crore in Nhava Sheva on Monday, according to an official.

Following a tip-off, personnel from the Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) at Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House (JNCH) intercepted a cargo from the UAE including the electronic items. A Hong Kong-based business supplied the package, which included 1,546 CPUs, reported PTI.

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According to the report, importing such commodities without proper authorisation is prohibited under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy. The used computers were smuggled via the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Patparganj, Delhi, under false pretences as motherboard casings.

Simultaneous searches in Mumbai and Delhi led to the arrest of the importing firm's mastermind and founder. Officials also discovered Rs 27.37 lakh in cash, which they suspect came from the sale of smuggled items, the report added.

The research uncovered two such shipments of secondhand computers at Delhi Air Cargo Customs. Further investigations are ongoing.

In another, the Customs sleuths at the Mumbai airport seized 32.79 kg of gold across two cases based on spot profiling. According to investigators, the gold was discovered stashed in the travellers' undergarments and bags. The recovered contraband is valued at Rs. 19.15 crore.

Two female foreign nationals travelling from Nairobi to Mumbai were stopped by customs inspectors at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

One accused was found with 28 pieces of 22-karat gold melted bars and the other with 70 pieces, totalling 32.79 kg, concealed in their undergarments and bags. Both passengers were arrested.