Customs to crack the whip on smugglers

Move to revoke passports of 30 confirmed offenders

Determined to put the brakes on smuggling, the Customs Department will approach the Regional Passport Officers (RPOs) in the State with a request to revoke the passports of 30 confirmed smugglers under relevant sections of the Passport Act.

This is part of a multi-pronged approach drawn up by the Customs to devise effective deterrent measures against smuggling.

“We will give the RPOs in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode a list of 10 habitual offenders in the next few days with a request to revoke their passports. Once the passports are revoked, they will be permanently out of business except in countries such as Nepal and Bhutan (to where Indians can travel without passports),” Commissioner of Customs Sumit Kumar told

The Hindu .

Mr. Kumar said RPOs were authorised to either refuse or revoke passports or travel documents under relevant provisions of Section 6 and 10 of the Passport Act respectively.

Besides, plans are afoot to publish the names of persons convicted for smuggling under the provisions of the Customs Act as part of a naming and shaming strategy.

The Customs devised the new strategy after finding that offenders were found returning to the business even after paying fine or undergoing imprisonment or preventive detention.

Another deterrent

As another powerful deterrent, Customs is about to start attaching properties where it is proven beyond doubt that they were parking grounds for proceeds of gold smuggling.

“Such proceeds will be attached forthwith under the Customs Act itself without approaching other agencies such as the Income Tax Department or Enforcement Department,” Mr. Kumar said.

The Customs Commissioner is set to invoke the hitherto uninvoked sections of the Customs Act entailing penalties and even imprisonment of up to two years to crack the whip on those who do not cooperate with the Customs or mislead the agency.

“We have already invoked these sections in a few cases, which are under investigation. We want to send across the message that those who cooperate will be rewarded and those who don’t will be penalised,” he said.

Customs plans to launch massive sensitisation campaigns across all three regions to remove the misconception that helping the agency will land people in trouble.