DRI Seizes 362 MT Pakistan-Origin Dry Dates Routed Via UAE

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized over 362 metric tonnes of dry dates originating from Pakistan after uncovering an alleged attempt to bypass India's restrictions on imports from the neighbouring country, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.

The action followed intelligence inputs that led DRI officials to intercept 13 containers carrying dry dates at the Container Freight Station (CFS) in Ambad, Nashik. The consignment had been imported by a Mumbai-based company.

According to the preliminary investigation, the shipment was routed through the UAE to conceal its actual Pakistani origin. The import documents listed the UAE as the country of origin, even though the goods had initially been shipped from Pakistan.

The dry dates were first transported from Karachi Port to Jebel Ali Port in the UAE in one set of containers aboard a vessel. At Jebel Ali, the cargo was transferred into different containers and loaded onto another vessel before being shipped to India.

The investigation also found that entities operated by Pakistani nationals were involved in the onward movement of the consignments to India.

The DRI has been conducting such operations under 'Operation Deep Manifest', aimed at detecting and stopping attempts to bring Pakistan-origin goods into India by routing them through third countries.