Closed factory's name, old permits used to import Tk5cr phones under false declaration
The 895kg consignment from Hong Kong arrived on 31 August aboard a Hong Kong Air Cargo flight
Customs officials seized 1,655 mobile phones worth an estimated Tk5 crore from a consignment declared as knit fabric at Dhaka airport's airfreight area on 8 September.
According to customs intelligence findings, the shipment was imported under the name of Thianis Apparels Limited, a Chattogram EPZ factory that shut down more than a year ago.
Investigators also suspect used import permission (IP) documents issued to two other Chattogram EPZ companies were forged and used for the shipment.
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The 895kg consignment from Hong Kong arrived on 31 August aboard a Hong Kong Air Cargo flight. The phones were concealed inside specially made cylinders placed inside fabric rolls.
A Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) notice said the shipment contained 450 Redmi 14C, 150 Redmi 15C, and 1,055 older iPhones and Chinese-brand phones. The estimated cost of phones is around Tk5 crore.
Zhejiang Shaoxing Xinhua Knitting Company was listed as the shipper, Janco Global Logistics as the master air waybill holder and FF Cargo Service as the freight forwarder.
However, Dhaka Customs House filed a case against Thianis and C&F agent UK Dorin, while FF Cargo Service, which brought the shipment, was not named as an accused.
Closed factory named as importer
Md Shariful Islam, executive director of Chattogram EPZ, told The Business Standard that Thianis Apparels shut down in May 2025 and its IP was deactivated around the same time.
The EPZ authorities later terminated the company's lease and auctioned its assets, while the factory building was allotted to another company, he said.
"There is no existence of Thianis Apparels," Shariful said, adding that the company could not have legitimately imported new goods under the bonded facility.
Another CEPZ official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities found that two old IPs issued to two companies, under which goods had already been received, were allegedly forged and used in the shipment under Thianis Apparels' name.
"Possibly, the C&F agent, who might be a common customs agent for the three companies, was involved in the IP forgery. The customs authority will find out who actually imported the consignment and who else was involved," he said.
Investigators suspect people with access to the companies' old import records and documents may have facilitated the shipment. C&F agent UK Dorin, which previously handled air cargo clearance for Thianis, is also under scrutiny.
C&F agent's role questioned
Shipment documents show UK Dorin Managing Director Tanvir Ahmed authorised clearance using a fake letterhead of Thianis and later assigned Ruhul Amin to collect the goods. Customs records also identify Tanvir as Thianis's commercial manager in the authorisation.
Tanvir, however, told The Business Standard that a Thianis official named Elias had authorised his employee to clear the shipment.
Thianis Managing Director Anisur Rahman Khan said Elias left the company in September 2024 and that Thianis had conducted no commercial activity since its closure.
He denied involvement in the shipment, saying no Thianis official had provided UK Dorin with clearance documents. He added that UK Dorin previously handled Thianis's airport cargo clearance but had not done so for about a year because the company's IP was blocked.
He also said Thianis has several ongoing disputes with Bepza and that he lost access to business and personal documents left inside the factory after its assets were auctioned.
Meanwhile, FF Cargo Service officials could not be reached for comment.
Criminal case filed over alleged false IP, smuggling
CIID officials said the amount of duty and tax evaded has yet to be determined. They will assess the phones' value based on their models, condition, IMEI numbers, declared import value and market prices.
CIID Director General Safiur Rahman declined to comment and referred TBS to the NBR spokesperson.
NBR spokesperson Al Amin said Dhaka Customs House had filed a criminal case with Airport Police Station over the alleged use of false IP documents and smuggling.
"The case was filed under Airport Police Station Case No 24 on 11 September 2026. Other legal proceedings under the applicable laws are ongoing," he said.
Investigators are examining how the old IPs and Thianis's documents were obtained, who arranged the shipment and how the phones were intended to enter the domestic market.
