The Mumbai Customs department busted an alleged diesel smuggling racket and recovered 180 to 200 tonnes of smuggled diesel hidden in water tanks that were concealed in the structure of a barge.
The ship’s captain and its owner’s son have been arrested and more arrests are likely to be made in the case. According to officials, this was one of the biggest seizures made by the Customs department, where a large barge containing fuel containers was used for high-speed smuggling of diesel.
An official said that based on specific intelligence, a team from Rummaging an Intelligence, Bombay Customs, Zone 3, intercepted a barge MV Tina 4 registered in the name of M/s Shiny Shipping & Logistics Pvt ltd and recovered approximately 180 to 200 tonnes of contraband diesel hidden in water tanks.
The officials recorded the statement of the captain of the vessel, the engineer and the authorized representative of the shipping line. The diesel was found to have been smuggled from foreign vessels and sold to local coastal vessels and factories with the intention of evading customs duties, an official said.
Furthermore, at the time of inspection it was discovered that one of the water tanks was not part of the barge’s approved design by the Indian Shipping Registry. The owner’s son and master have been arrested, and this could also lead to more arrests later, an official said. Shiny Shipping, which owns the vessel, operates many barges throughout the country.