Industrialist in a spot for 'concealing' goods at IGI

The Customs department seized undeclared clothes and valuables worth more than Rs 20 lakh allegedly belonging to an industrialist at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday night. The industrialist and his wife left through the green channel. Atul Mathur reports.

The Customs department seized undeclared clothes and valuables worth more than Rs 20 lakh allegedly belonging to an industrialist at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday night. The industrialist and his wife left through the green channel.

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The department has now issued summons to the industrialist to appear for questioning.

According to senior Customs department officials, Brij Bhushan Singhal, chairman of Bhushan Steels Limited, and his wife Usha Singhal arrived from London at the IGI airport by a British Airways flight (BA 143) at 11.10 p.m. on Thursday.

While Singhal and wife crossed the green channel after completing formalities at the arrival desk, the Customs department apprehended the people who were carrying Singhal's luggage.

"We stopped three men who were trying to cross the green channel with eight suitcases on three trolleys. They told us that the owner of the luggage had already left the airport. When we opened the luggage we found goods and invoices worth 25-30,000 pounds, for which no Customs duty was paid," a senior Customs official said requesting anonymity.

The goods, said officials, included fine crockery, costly garments, ladies shoes, linen and other such stuff. Officials said some of the items had the rate tags attached to them.

"More often than not, people keep the invoices in their handbags. This time, we found even the invoices kept in the same suitcases. This helped us arrive at the total cost of the goods. The goods attract custom duty of about Rs 6.5 lakh," the official said.

All efforts to contact Singal for his comments proved futile. While his staff at Singhal's Nehru Place office said he was not available, Nitin Johari, the chief financial officer of Bhushan Steels, said he was tired and sleeping and could not be contacted.

However, an official at Singhal's company said, "Both Mr. Singhal and his wife were on wheelchair and were taken out from the green channel. However, three persons, including one from an agency that gets goods cleared at the Customs, were specially asked to stay back and get the goods cleared. However, the Customs officials detained them before the staff could proceed to the counter to pay custom duty."