Enforcement officers lauded for seizure of fake goods in Punjab
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Mar, 2022 11:22 AM
Amritsar, March 28 (IANS) A former Delhi High Court judge Manmohan Sarin complimented the enforcement officers of Punjab for seizure of fake and smuggled consumer goods, alcohol, food products, gold and cigarettes.
Quoting the World Economic Forum data, he said illicit trade has resulted in an annual drain of $2.2 trillion which is approximately 3 per cent of the world GDP in 2020.
While complimenting the enforcement officers, he said their hands-on approach has led to large number of seizures in the state of fake and smuggled goods.
He was speaking at an interactive session by FICCI CASCADE on the 'Strategies' to combat smuggling and counterfeiting, here.
The objective was to facilitate a wider exchange of ideas and ensure a multifaceted perspective to understand the gravity of the menace caused by illicit trade.
Rahul Nangare, Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Amritsar, said 32 kg of gold from Afghanistan, 584 kg of heroin from Pakistan and 483 kg of cannabis were seized recently along Indo-Pakistan border in the state.
Talking about the menace of smuggling, he underscored the importance of inter-agency coordination, international collaborations, capacity building of officers and need for modern examination machine for creating a balance between enforcement and trade facilitation.
Sanjay Gaur, Deputy Inspector General, Border Security Force, highlighted the challenges such as difficult terrains, extreme climate and porous borders faced by BSF officers in their day-to-day operations in managing the security.
"Items such as heroin, arms and ammunition, gold, silver, tobacco are most smuggled items across borders," he added.
FICCI's Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE) over the years has been actively focusing on curbing the problem of growing illicit trade in smuggled, pass-offs and counterfeit goods.
The anti-bribery helpline 9501 200 200 has received around 20,000 complaints so far. However, a majority of these do not have an audio or video proof to support their claim.
As per the video uploaded on social media, and not authenticated by IANS, Bhim Kumar is seen consuming liquor along with other people including a girl in a semi-nude position at his office-cum-residence, allocated to him by the state government.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, representing Sidhu, submitted before a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar that sentence was a discretion of court and no interference, could be done, except in cases of death penalty, given in rarest of the rare cases, and in the present case, there is no need to have a relook at the 2018 judgment.
Delhi Police has busted a gang of drug traffickers who were involved in selling Poppy Straw in Punjab through truck drivers, and arrested two persons in this connection, an official said on Friday. The arrested individuals have been identified as Rohan Kumar, 21, and Kanwar Pal a.ka. Baniya, 47.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said it has filed a supplementary chargesheet against an accused in connection with a 500-kg heroin smuggling case by people based in Dubai. The drug was smuggled through Pakistan-India sea route.
ONDC is an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital networks.
