KOCHI: Sleuths with the
customs (preventive) department probing the alleged tax evasion to the tune of at least Rs 6 crore by
Plus Max Duty Free, which runs the duty-free shop (
DFS) in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday said that the accused were aware of them being investigated ahead of the Customs raid on December 21, 2017.
According to customs officials, an informer had alerted other central agencies about the irregularities at the DFS at least two weeks before the Customs got the tipoff. This information was somehow leaked to the accused and hence, they could destroy data ahead of the raid.
This prior information enabled the suspects to approach the Tamil Nadu police with a complaint of their servers being hacked, Customs officials suspect. The firm now claims that an
FIR has been registered in connection with the 'hacking' with the Namakkal police.
The Customs has however disproved the data hacking claim with the aid of experts from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
Customs had on Saturday arrested the CEO of Plus Max Duty Free as part of the investigation. Customs had earlier suspended the warehouse license of the DFS after firm failed to cooperate with the investigation.
TOI had on April 23 carried a report on a Customs probe on traveller data, including passport numbers, being leaked from airlines manifest at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport for illegal purchase of goods from the duty-free shop there. It was found that details of 13,000 international travellers were compromised thus from September 2017 to April 2018.
Customs case is regarding non-duty paid imported liquor being sold to unauthorized people and customs duty not being accounted for. To cover-up these illegal sales, the DFS manipulated its sale details.
"If they have imported foreign made liquor and sold it in the market, then they have to pay the duty. The case is about the sales which happened when Plus Max was running the shop. If there are similar complaints regarding any other duty-free shop, we will investigate that as well. Our sole concern is protection of revenue and bringing duty evaders to justice," said Customs commissioner Sumit Kumar.
The Customs lens is also learned to be on some officers within the department who are suspected to be involved in the crime. Sources with Plus Max, meanwhile, claim that their competitors are behind the case.
