8 DRI officers under home quarantine after smuggling accused tests positive for Covid

Eight officials including a deputy director of directorate revenue intelligence (DRI) have been placed under home quarantine and will undergo Covid-19 test after

Eight officials including a deputy director of directorate revenue intelligence (DRI) have been placed under home quarantine and will undergo Covid-19 test after an accused arrested in the ₹5.2 crore red sanders smuggling racket tested positive on Tuesday.

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Rajesh Pandey, additional director-general of DRI (Mumbai zonal unit) said, “One of the accused tested positive. Since the accused were in our custody, eight DRI officials at Nhava Sheva office have been quarantined.”

On June 13, a 39-year-old old accused along with his associate was arrested by the Mumbai zone officials of DRI on specific information for smuggling red sanders. “The exporter had declared the cargo as 29 metric tonnes of fresh Indian onion. But, on examination of the container 13-metric tonnes of red sanders worth around ₹5.2 crore was found,” said Pandey.

DRI official also found 17-metric tonnes of onion in the cargo along with the red sanders logs. The onions were kept in order to avoid detection of red sanders by the customs and to prevent any disturbance in the stacking, said the DRI officer.