Goods illegally removed from Chittagong Port without paying duties

A vested quarter has illegally removed fabrics consignments from Chittagong Port without paying duties. The Chittagong Customs has identified Kems Fashion Limited in Dhaka, and RM Associates, a clearing and forwarding agent in Chattogram, associated with the incident.

Customs sources said, during unloading art cards of a garment factory in Dhaka in four covered vans, another two covered vans took the fabrics, sent to Kems Fashion from China, without paying duties.

The consignment reached Chittagong Port on February 3, 2019. No bill of entry was submitted in favour of the importer, even after a long time, just to avoid taxes, according to customs sources.

On Sunday, in the presence of different intelligence agencies, the Audit, Investigation and Research (AIR) Unit of Chittagong Customs House conducted a physical examination of the consignment. 

According to the invoice of the consignment, the container should have 26,300 kilogrammes of fabrics, however, during physical examination no goods were found in the container. The goods were removed from the port illegally.

Chittagong Customs AIR Unit assistant commissioner Nur A Hasna Sanjida Anusuya told The Business Standard, "Of the two covered vans, one (Dhaka Metro-Ta-16-0569) is seized by Chittagong Port Police Station. There is an allegation against the covered van of smuggling imported goods of BL No 591885118."

"We have identified Kems Fashion and RM Associates for their involvement in the incident. We have not yet determined how much duty they have avoided," she added.

While trying to contact Mahabub Hayder Chowdhury, the proprietor of RM Associates, several times over the phone, he did not answer.

The cell phone and land phone numbers available on the website of importer Kems Fashion Limited were found switched off.