Smuggling of apparels on the rise

BIRGUNJ, Aug 18:

Smuggling of apparels through Birgunj Customs Office is on the rise.

Different types of apparels smuggled through the customs office reach to markets in Kathmandu, Narayangadh and Pokhara, among other districts, according to Department of Revenue Investigation (DoRI).

The Pathlaiya-based office of DoRI confiscated apparels worth Rs 100 million in Fiscal Year 2014/15. "Suit piece, kurta/suruwal and readymade garment are the major apparels smuggled through the office," Santosh Shrestha, chief revenue investigation officer of the office, told Republica. "Smuggled apparels constitute around 40 percent of the total confiscated smuggled goods in the review year," he added.

Most of those smuggled goods were seized from trucks carrying higher quantity of goods than stated in the invoice. Some were found hidden in false bottoms of the trucks. Similarly, some traders smuggle apparels by hiding them inside the cargo of other imported goods.

The department has been calculating goods confiscated by it, or handed over to them by the police, on monetary value.

"In recent years, traders are trying to smuggle apparels inside cargo of other goods. Some smuggle apparels by hiding them in false bottoms of vehicles," Shrestha said, adding, "We have also seized apparels from passenger bus."

According to Shrestha, the department has been conducting check on a random basis as well as on tip-off.

The department mobilized revenue of Rs 509.33 million from seized smuggled goods in 2014/15.

Meanwhile, revenue collection by the department's Pathlaiya-based office increased by 54 percent in 2014/15 compared to a year earlier. The office settled 525 cases of smuggled goods in 2014/15.

Source: Republica