Customs officers suspended in R22 scam
16th December 2013
INDIA: Previously a centre for CFC smuggling, India has now become a focus for the illegal imports of HCFCs.
Five customs officers, one of them the central excise and service tax commissioner at Indore, have been suspended for their alleged involvement in a £10m import fraud. It is claimed that a range of prohibited goods including R22 were allowed into the country. In other cases goods were undervalued to evade duty.
According to the Times of India, India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has reported increasing cases of illegal imports of R22.
To March of this year these have included two seizures in New Delhi, one of a container carrying 1,088 13.6 kg cylinders of R22 and a separate seizure of eight containers filled with 540 split air-conditioners and 6,207 cylinders of R22 gases. A consignment of 800 13.6kg cylinders of R22 were found concealed behind declared cargo in Lucknow.
Read more: Top customs officer, suspended for role in Rs 100cr scam and Smuggling of R22 into india on the rise
