Customs foils bid to import banned Indian-origin textile machinery using RMS

The Collectorate of Customs Appraisement (West) and the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Karachi, in a joint operation, successfully foiled an attempt to illegally import banned Indian-origin textile machinery in Karachi.

The action was initiated after the new Risk Management System (RMS 2.0), currently on a test run by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at the Karachi Port, generated an alert for misdeclaration of the goods’ origin, the FBR said in a press release.

As per details, customs formations intercepted and examined a container at the Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT).

The goods were imported by a Karachi-based textile manufacturer under the declaration that they were a “Textile Twisting machine” of Chinese origin imported from Jebel Ali, Dubai.

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Upon physical inspection, the consignment, which contained a new Textile Twisting Machine with 576 spindles and accessories in Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) condition, was found to be of Indian origin.

Customs noted that the manufacturer’s plates and specification markings had been deliberately removed or scratched in an attempt to hide the actual country of origin.

The assessed value of the seized goods is US $85,107.

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A formal case of mis-declaration of origin has been registered, and legal proceedings have been initiated.

The Collectorate stated that this detection “manifests the alertness of Customs collectorates against attempts of import of Indian origin goods routed from transshipment ports and testifies the efficacy of the upgraded RMS being developed by the FBR.”