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

The 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 the DRI, two consignments with stocks of iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Google Pixel 6 pro, and Apple SmarthWatch arrived at the Air Cargo Complex (ACC) at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai on Friday. In the import documents, the goods were declared as "memory cards", and the value of the 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. These consignments had arrived from Hong Kong, at Air Cargo Complex (ACC), Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. In the import documents, the goods were declared as “memory cards”.  Physical examination, however, revealed that the consignments actually contained the following items– iPhone 13 Pro -- 2245, iPhone 13 Pro Max -- 1401, Google Pixel 6 pro -- 12, and Apple SmartWatch -- 1," DRI said in the statement.

The agency further stated that by smuggling over 3,646 iPhones, and other gadgets, attempts were being made to evade Customs Duty on the goods which go as high as 44%, as per the Indian law. "The abovementioned mobile phones and apple smartwatch, not having been declared, were seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The total value of the seized goods is around Rs. 42.86 crore, while the declared value of the goods was only Rs. 80 lakhs," it stated. 

Upon further evaluation, the 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/. The detection of attempted smuggling of these high-end phones to India has proven how quickly the smugglers establish their networks for the latest products. "This detection has helped unearth a serious import fraud, reinforcing the DRI’s ability to detect and combat unique and sophisticated methods of smuggling, having substantial revenue implications. As the guardians of the nation’s economic frontiers, DRI remains steadfast to combat smuggling," the statement read.