Staff Correspondent . Chattogram | Published: 00:00, Jul 26,2022
The authorities of Chattogram Customs, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate on Monday seized two more containers full of illegally imported foreign liquor at Chattogram port.
So far five containers full of illegally imported liquor with false declarations were seized at the Chattogram port and Narayanganj in the past three days.
All the liquor was imported from China with false declarations of readymade garment items and raw materials. The first three containers had over 52,000 bottles of foreign liquor and the counting of the two containers seized at Chattogram port on Monday was underway, customs officials said.
Customs commissioner at Chattogram port Fakhrul Alam said that after primary investigation they found the involvement of a business syndicate who illegally import liquor and then forge documents to avoid scanning at the port.
He said that they formed an investigation committee over the incident and were planning to file a case against the ring.
The commissioner said that they had identified and locked a few more containers in the port believing that they also contained illegal liquor.
‘We are checking those containers,’ he said.
The ruling Awami League-nominated chairman of Sologhar Union Parishad in Munshiganj district’s Sripur upazila, Azizul Islam, who is also the secretary candidate of Srinagar upazila Awami League, is the leader of the ring, officials said.
Azizul fled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with his son Ashiqul Islam while another son Abdul Ahad, also a part of the ring, was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion on Sunday.
RAB and the customs authorities made one of the largest seizures of foreign liquor on early Saturday. The two containers full of nearly 37,000 bottles of foreign liquor worth Tk 37 crore were intercepted at Sonargaon in Narayanganj by a RAB-11 team.
Two cases were filed over the seizure and three people were arrested.
Quoting the arrested, RAB officials said that they supply illegal liquor to different clubs in the capital and nearby areas.
After the RAB seizure, customs officials at Chattogram also seized a container full of liquor on Sunday and two more containers on Monday, deputy commissioner Md Saiful Hoque said.
The container seized on Sunday had over 15,000 bottles of liquor, he said.
‘We seized two containers of liquor at Chattogram port on Monday. The goods were imported from China under the declaration of textured yarn of polyester and raw materials of polypropylene resin,’ said Chattogram customs joint commissioner Salahuddin Rizvi.
RAB-11 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Tanvir Mahmud Pasha said that they filed a case with the Sonargaon police station over their seizure on Saturday. Azizul, his two sons and three clearing and forwarding agents were among those sued in the case.
Tanvir said that the seized liquor will be handed over to customs authorities.
RAB officials said that the containers were imported using false addresses of different firms in different EPZs.
Dong Jin Industrial (BD) Company Limited of Uttara EPZ in Nilphamari and VIP Industries Bangladesh Pvt. Ltd of Mongla EPZ in Bagerhat were the importers of the last two containers.
The containers reached Chattogram port on July 16. A clearing and forwarding agent named Zafar Ahmed was in charge of unloading the first three containers on behalf of the importers while the rest two were yet to have any C&F agent, said customs officials.
Customs commissioner Fakhrul said that clearing and forwarding agent Zafar threatened their staff over the cellphone after the first seizure.
Customs authorities have suspended his licence and he was served show cause notice, said Fakhrul.
He said that their technology system was compromised and reports were faked to dodge scanning.
RAB officials said that the ring had earlier made at least three imports of liquor with false declarations this year and dodged customs screening.
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