The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested Gujarat-based trader Sneh Dipakbhai Kakadiya for allegedly orchestrating a ₹44 crore customs duty evasion scheme involving under-invoiced imports of in-shell walnuts from Chile.
Kakadiya, along with his father Dipak Kakadiya, is accused of misusing firms such as M/s Angel Enterprise and M/s Dipak Trading Co. to import large quantities of Chilean walnuts by significantly undervaluing their declared prices. The alleged fraud was aimed at evading the 100% basic customs duty applicable on the assessable value of the imports.
Investigations revealed that genuine invoices from Chilean suppliers were routed through a Dubai-based intermediary, M/s Euro Seven General Trading LLC. These invoices were then replaced with fake, lower-value documents showing walnut prices as low as $1.50/kg—well below the actual rate of $2.70/kg. This led to the clearance of over 3,610 metric tonnes of walnuts at artificially low prices, resulting in an estimated customs duty loss of more than ₹44 crore.
The DRI seized key evidence from Kakadiya’s email accounts, including original and forged invoices, as well as insurance documents. Citing a risk of evidence tampering and potential witness influence, the DRI also noted that Kakadiya was caught at Surat International Airport on June 25 while attempting to leave the country.
Source from: https://deshgujarat.com/2025/06/27/dri-nabs-surat-trader-for-%E2%82%B944-crore-customs-duty-evasion-in-walnut-import/
