10 truckloads of garment accessories raw materials seized over attempted illegal sale
NBR officials said customs duties and taxes on commercial imports of duplex boards outside the export facility amount to around 46%.
Customs intelligence officials seized 10 truckloads of raw materials for garment accessories in the capital's Nayabazar on Friday night while they were allegedly being prepared for illegal sale after being imported duty-free under the bonded warehouse facility for export-oriented industries.
The seized goods, including nine truckloads of duplex board, weigh an estimated 73 tonnes. Customs officials said that the duplex board is mainly used to manufacture garment accessories such as hangtags, price tags, barcode tags, garment boxes, packaging boxes, collar supports, paper cards, labels and folding cartons.
At a press conference at the NBR headquarters in Agargaon today (29 August), officials said Khulna-based SRI Flexopack Limited had imported the duplex board under the bonded warehouse facility.
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The goods were supposed to be transported from Chattogram Customs House to Khulna but were instead taken to Nayabazar, a major hub for paper and paper-related products.
Kazi Al Masum, assistant commissioner of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), said the initial intelligence was corroborated when the trucks entered Nayabazar instead of following their designated bypass route to Khulna.
"We have received preliminary information that an attempt was being made to sell the bonded paper at a warehouse," he said.
During the operation, one truck from the 10-truck convoy fled after detecting the customs intelligence team. Another truck, already in Nayabazar and allegedly being prepared for open-market sale, was identified and seized. Its contents could not immediately be determined.
Officials said they would assess the value of the seized duplex board and estimate the revenue allegedly sought to be evaded by today.
The government allows export-oriented industries to import raw materials duty-free to boost Bangladesh's competitiveness. However, such materials are sometimes diverted to the domestic market instead of being used for export production, depriving the government of revenue and putting local manufacturers who pay duties at a competitive disadvantage.
NBR officials said customs duties and taxes on commercial imports of duplex boards outside the export facility amount to around 46%.
Attempts to contact SRI Flexopack Managing Director Rabiul Islam Monju for comment were unsuccessful.
