The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has sounded an alert to different customs formations across the country to check smuggling of infrared thermometers into the country from China, officials said on Friday.

The move assumes significance as the demand of such thermometers has spiked in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The DRI has sent an alert to inland container depots and the cargo airport in Delhi and other places across the country, dealing with the import and export of commodities from abroad, among others asking them to be vigilant about such smuggling," an official said.

He said there is information to suggest that smugglers may under-value or mis-declare these thermometers to illegally import them to India.

A good being brought into the country can be under-invoiced to evade customs duty to defraud the government exchequer.

In this method, the invoice being filed with authorities for the import of the goods is falsified to show that the price of goods being imported is lower than the actual price being paid by an importer abroad.

India had lost a staggering USD 13 billion, over Rs 90,000 crore, to trade mis-invoicing (that includes under and over-invoicing), equivalent to 5.5 per cent of the value of the country's total revenue collections in 2016, according to a 2019 report by the US-based think-tank Global Financial Integrity.

A non-contact infrared/thermal thermometer of a reputed manufacturing firm may cost anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 8,000, according to the websites selling them.

The officials also suspect that the smugglers may exploit the free trade zone of Dubai port to route the goods for sending them to India.

"A strict vigilance is maintained to thwart such attempts to cause damage to the Indian economy and the local manufacturers," the official said, referring to the DRI alert issued recently.

The DRI is a federal economic intelligence agency under the Finance Ministry mandated to check commercial frauds among others.

The customs formations are on the alert to thwart any attempts of smuggling.

About 2,500 kg of raw material for masks was intercepted by air cargo export here on May 13.

In addition to these, the customs officials had intercepted multiple shipments containing 5.

08 lakh masks, 57 litres of sanitiser in 950 bottles and 952 PPE kits at the courier terminal in New Delhi.

These were attempted to be smuggled out of the country to the US, UK and the UAE among others, they said.

The goods were is-declared as packing materials for pouches to avoid suspicion and further scrutiny by the customs officials.

The export of such goods is prohibited by the government due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Many countries have either increased the production of such products or ordered their import owing to domestic demands as they stare at its possible shortage.

Customs officials in Chennai recently thwarted an attempt to illegally smuggle out over 1,000 kg of red sanders wood to Malaysia.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has sounded an alert to different customs formations across the country to check smuggling of infrared thermometers into the country from China, officials said on Friday.

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has sounded an alert to different customs formations across the country to check smuggling of infrared thermometers into the country from China, officials said on Friday. The move assumes significance as the demand of such thermometers has spiked in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. "The DRI has sent an alert to inland container depots and the cargo airport in Delhi and other places across the country, dealing with the import and export of commodities from abroad, among others asking them to be vigilant about such smuggling," an official said. He said there is information to suggest that smugglers may under-value or mis-declare these thermometers to illegally import them to India. A good being brought into the country can be under-invoiced to evade customs duty to defraud the government exchequer. In this method, the invoice being filed with authorities for the import of the goods is falsified to show that the price of goods being imported is lower than the actual price being paid by an importer abroad. India had lost a staggering USD 13 billion, over Rs 90,000 crore, to trade mis-invoicing (that includes under and over-invoicing), equivalent to 5.5 per cent of the value of the country's total revenue collections in 2016, according to a 2019 report by the US-based think-tank Global Financial Integrity. A non-contact infrared/thermal thermometer of a reputed manufacturing firm may cost anywhere between Rs 3,500 and Rs 8,000, according to the websites selling them. The officials also suspect that the smugglers may exploit the free trade zone of Dubai port to route the goods for sending them to India. "A strict vigilance is maintained to thwart such attempts to cause damage to the Indian economy and the local manufacturers," the official said, referring to the DRI alert issued recently. The DRI is a federal economic intelligence agency under the Finance Ministry mandated to check commercial frauds among others. The customs formations are on the alert to thwart any attempts of smuggling. About 2,500 kg of raw material for masks was intercepted by air cargo export here on May 13. In addition to these, the customs officials had intercepted multiple shipments containing 5. 08 lakh masks, 57 litres of sanitiser in 950 bottles and 952 PPE kits at the courier terminal in New Delhi. These were attempted to be smuggled out of the country to the US, UK and the UAE among others, they said. The goods were is-declared as packing materials for pouches to avoid suspicion and further scrutiny by the customs officials. The export of such goods is prohibited by the government due to the coronavirus outbreak. Many countries have either increased the production of such products or ordered their import owing to domestic demands as they stare at its possible shortage. Customs officials in Chennai recently thwarted an attempt to illegally smuggle out over 1,000 kg of red sanders wood to Malaysia.

DRI sounds alert over smuggling of infrared thermometers into India from China

A Delhi-based jeweller allegedy committed suicide by jumping off the sixth floor of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) building after his home and store were raided.&nbsp

The DRI said the jeweller had neither been summoned nor arrested by them.&nbsp

The DRI added that the jeweller was immediately rushed to Safdarjung Hospital but that his "life could not be saved".&nbsp

"A total of Rs 13 crore smuggled goods were seized from (name withheld) possession. But unfortunately, the owner of the smuggled goods jumped through the window of the visitor's room at around 12 pm. He was neither summoned nor arrested by the DRI. The person was immediately taken to the Safdarjung Hospital by officers of DRI and CISF of CGO complex, but his life could not be saved," the DRI said in a statement. &nbsp

ANI however reported the jeweller's wife as having written to the SHO (station house officer) of the Shalimar Bagh police station, asking that police take stringent action against a particular DRI official and his team.&nbsp

ANI added that the jeweller's wife is alleging he was murdered by the DRI official and his team.&nbsp

Police meanwhile have said the jeweller's body will be given to the family after a post-mortem examination. A probe is underway.&nbsp

And a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the case.&nbsp

(With inputs from ANI)

The DRI said the jeweller had neither been summoned nor arrested by them

A Delhi-based jeweller allegedy committed suicide by jumping off the sixth floor of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) building after his home and store were raided. The DRI said the jeweller had neither been summoned nor arrested by them. The DRI added that the jeweller was immediately rushed to Safdarjung Hospital but that his "life could not be saved". "A total of Rs 13 crore smuggled goods were seized from (name withheld) possession. But unfortunately, the owner of the smuggled goods jumped through the window of the visitor's room at around 12 pm. He was neither summoned nor arrested by the DRI. The person was immediately taken to the Safdarjung Hospital by officers of DRI and CISF of CGO complex, but his life could not be saved," the DRI said in a statement. ANI however reported the jeweller's wife as having written to the SHO (station house officer) of the Shalimar Bagh police station, asking that police take stringent action against a particular DRI official and his team. ANI added that the jeweller's wife is alleging he was murdered by the DRI official and his team. Police meanwhile have said the jeweller's body will be given to the family after a post-mortem examination. A probe is underway. And a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the case. (With inputs from ANI)

Delhi jeweller's store, home raided, he jumps off DRI building

Investigating agencies have&nbsp;learned&nbsp;about&nbsp;underworld don&nbsp;Dawood&nbsp;Ibrahim&#39;s&nbsp;Corporate Money Transfer Network, which is very different from orthodox&nbsp;hawala&nbsp;channels.&nbsp;

Ibrahim&nbsp;has been laundering money&nbsp;through&nbsp;various shell companies instead of&nbsp;hawala, the traditional means to transfer funds illegally.&nbsp;

These companies are registered&nbsp;on&nbsp;the names of close aides,&nbsp;relatives&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;few&nbsp;trustworthy&nbsp;businessmen.&nbsp;

These shell companies&nbsp;operate out of&nbsp;Nepal, Bangladesh&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mauritius,&nbsp;and have offices in&nbsp;tax-friendly&nbsp;countries.&nbsp;

Income from illegal businesses and trades like extortion or drugs are moved out of&nbsp;the&nbsp;country&nbsp;through these companies which do not have a direct criminal record,&nbsp;but&nbsp;are&nbsp;used only to transfer funds from one country to another.&nbsp;

To avoid problems in dealing with cash, D Company, as&nbsp;Dawood Ibrahim&#39;s crime network&nbsp;is&nbsp;colloquially&nbsp;referred to,&nbsp;operates&nbsp;through all legitimate financial transactions like cheques and RTGS.&nbsp;

&nbsp;These shell companies operate only on paper and records loss in its balance-sheet to evade tax.&nbsp;

To look after the transactions of these Shell companies, Dawood has appointed a group of&nbsp;management graduates&nbsp;who do not have any criminal background and a team of about 15&nbsp;chartered&nbsp;accountants&nbsp;(CAs)&nbsp;based&nbsp;in Karachi&nbsp;in Pakistan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A core team of these&nbsp;management graduates&nbsp;and CAs submit&nbsp;its&nbsp;report&nbsp;to&nbsp;Ibrahim&#39;s associate,&nbsp;Chhota&nbsp;Shakeel,&nbsp;who later updates the crime syndicate head.&nbsp;

Indian agencies like&nbsp;enforcement&nbsp;directorate&nbsp;(ED)&nbsp;and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence&nbsp;are to&nbsp;investigate&nbsp;into&nbsp;Ibrahim&#39;s&nbsp;properties and such suspected shell companies.&nbsp;

ED may soon record the statement of&nbsp;gangster&nbsp;Iqbal&nbsp;Kaskar,&nbsp;who is in judicial custody now, in this connection.&nbsp;

Most of these firms operate out of Nepal, Bangladesh, Mauritius

Investigating agencies have learned about underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's Corporate Money Transfer Network, which is very different from orthodox hawala channels. Ibrahim has been laundering money through various shell companies instead of hawala, the traditional means to transfer funds illegally. These companies are registered on the names of close aides, relatives and a few trustworthy businessmen. These shell companies operate out of Nepal, Bangladesh and Mauritius, and have offices in tax-friendly countries. Income from illegal businesses and trades like extortion or drugs are moved out of the country through these companies which do not have a direct criminal record, but are used only to transfer funds from one country to another. To avoid problems in dealing with cash, D Company, as Dawood Ibrahim's crime network is colloquially referred to, operates through all legitimate financial transactions like cheques and RTGS. These shell companies operate only on paper and records loss in its balance-sheet to evade tax. To look after the transactions of these Shell companies, Dawood has appointed a group of management graduates who do not have any criminal background and a team of about 15 chartered accountants (CAs) based in Karachi in Pakistan. A core team of these management graduates and CAs submit its report to Ibrahim's associate, Chhota Shakeel, who later updates the crime syndicate head. Indian agencies like enforcement directorate (ED) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are to investigate into Ibrahim's properties and such suspected shell companies. ED may soon record the statement of gangster Iqbal Kaskar, who is in judicial custody now, in this connection.

Even underworld don Dawood uses shell companies for money transfer

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DRI sounds alert over smuggling of infrared thermometers into India from China

Delhi jeweller's store, home raided, he jumps off DRI building

Even underworld don Dawood uses shell companies for money transfer