3 customs officials booked for corruption

Three officials of the customs department were booked in a graft case by the anti-corruption bureau of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday.

They were superintendents DR Verma and Dawa Injung and examiner Suresh Shetty posted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

“So far, no arrests have been made,” said a CBI official. “We are scrutinising their roles and will soon take appropriate action. Several other customs officers are also under the scanner.”

CBI teams raided the offices and residences of the three and seized several incriminating documents, he said. “We have sent their computers for forensic analysis,” he added.

According to a senior CBI official, the trio was hand-in-glove with two export companies — Amreen Impex and Nandi Overseas - that exported rubber strips to countries in the Gulf and south-east Asia. The actual worth of the export consignment was Rs110 crore. However, the two companies, in connivance with the customs officials, undervalued it and claimed it to be worth Rs88lakhs.

“On the basis of bogus export claims, the two companies also claimed 11 import licences from the directorate general of foreign trade,” said a senior CBI official. “They submitted forged and fake certificates to the bank.”

The CBI has also activated its informer network to get more information about the conduct of the two superintendents and to know if they engaged in similar activities with other companies as well.