In Mumbai, 3,646 iPhones worth Rs 42cr seized at Airport; smuggled from Hong Kong

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized a stockpile of 3,646 iPhones being smuggled into India from Hong Kong. According to an official release of DRI, two consignments with stocks of iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Google Pixel 6 pro, and Apple SmarthWatch arrived at Air Cargo Complex (ACC) at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai on Friday. In import documents, goods were declared as "memory cards", and value of consignment was claimed to be Rs. 80 lakhs.

"After developing precise intelligence, officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) inspected two consignments on 26.11.2021. se consignments h arrived from Hong Kong, at Air Cargo Complex (ACC), Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. In import documents, goods were declared as “memory cards”.  Physical examination, however, revealed that consignments actually contained following items– iPhone 13 Pro -- 2245, iPhone 13 Pro Max -- 1401, Google Pixel 6 pro -- 12, and Apple SmartWatch -- 1," DRI said in statement.

ncy furr stated that by smuggling over 3,646 iPhones, and or ggets, attempts were being me to eve Customs Duty on goods which go as high as 44%, as per Indian law. " abovementioned mobile phones and apple smartwatch, t having been declared, were seized under Customs Act, 1962. total value of seized goods is around Rs. 42.86 crore, while declared value of goods was only Rs. 80 lakhs," it stated. 

Upon furr evaluation, watchdog has analyzed that iPhone 13 models went for sale in India from September 2021 onwards, with a base price of Rs. 70,000/, and higher-end models costing up to Rs. 1,80,000/. detection of attempted smuggling of se high-end phones to India has proven how quickly smugglers establish ir networks for latest products. "This detection has helped unearth a serious import fraud, reinforcing DRI’s ability to detect and combat unique and sophisticated methods of smuggling, having substantial revenue implications. As guardians of nation’s ecomic frontiers, DRI remains stefast to combat smuggling," statement re.