The luxury and collectible pen smuggling case detected at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) took a significant new turn after alleged mastermind Dhruv Sud expressed willingness to pay the applicable 35% customs duty. The Customs Department has now initiated the process of recovering approximately Rs 35 lakh in Customs duty from Sud, airport customs sources said. However, the investigation into the broader pen-smuggling network, its links with other airports, and the financial transactions involved is still underway.
The case came to light after customs officials intercepted an Indian passenger who had arrived at SVPI Airport from Japan via Vietnam and found 61 foreign-branded collectible pens valued at around Rs 30 lakh in his luggage. The passenger told officials that his roommate in Japan, Sud, had given him the pens to be delivered in Ahmedabad.
Sources said an examination of WhatsApp chats, financial transactions, and other digital evidence between the passenger and Sud revealed that the latter advertised foreign collectible pens for sale through Instagram and Telegram. He got payments from customers and used international passengers to transport the pens into India to evade customs duty. Investigators also found that, apart from Ahmedabad, the same modus operandi was allegedly used at several other airports across the country.
Customs officials later received intelligence that Sud had returned to Noida. Along with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, they raided his residence and recovered 143 foreign-branded collectible pens worth over Rs 1 crore.
Source from: https://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/rs-1cr-luxury-pen-smuggling/81918024.html
