Customs officials on Wednesday arrested a fruit trader, Mohammed Azeem Ansari of Hyderabad, for availing customs duty exemption to the tune of Rs. 3.56 crore on 15 consignments of apples on the basis of fake documents.
Costly fruits
Mr. Ansari had imported the fruits, whose assessable value is Rs 7.12 crore, for a firm named Astra Enterprises of Hyderabad from Afghanistan through the Krishnapatnam port which falls in the jurisdiction of the commissioner of customs and central excise, Guntur.
Statement recorded
Having received a tip-off, customs officials led by the Commissioner, Mr. S.K. Rahman and Assistant Commissioner K. Rajasekhara Reddy, arrested Mr. Ansari in Hyderabad on Tuesday and recorded his statement in Guntur.
A case was booked under Sections 132 and 135 of the Customs Act.
Remanded
Mr. Ansari was remanded to custody till June 30 by the Special Judge for Economic Offences at Nampally in Hyderabad. Ansari produced some certificates of tax exemption which, he claimed, were issued by the Government of Afghanistan.
