3 days ago
DRI arrestes trader for 13.79 crore walnut import scam in Mumbai
Mumbai: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Bhushan Suryakant Sawant, proprietor of M/s Mahant Enterprises, for allegedly diverting duty-free imported inshell walnuts into the domestic market in violation of the Advance Authorization Scheme, causing a revenue loss of over Rs 13.79 crore.
Investigations revealed that Mahant Enterprises obtained two Advance Authorization licenses from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on 24 December 2024 to import inshell walnuts duty-free, with the obligation to export processed walnut kernels.
However, analysis of e-way bill data indicated that in many cases, the declared movement of goods never occurred, and only paper-based transfers were generated to support fictitious transactions.
Several consignments were shown as transported to Leh Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd., Sonipat—an undeclared business location. Searches there found no stock belonging to Mahant Enterprises, despite e-way bills showing dispatches worth ₹9.78 crore.
In his statement Sawant admitted that GST registrations in Chandigarh and Delhi were obtained only for namesake, and that the actual beneficial owner of the imports was Manish Kumar Jain, the UAE-based mastermind and owner of supplier Cosmic Intercontinental DMCC.
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Sawant coordinated all import documentation, customs clearance, and domestic distribution on Jain's instructions. The DRI alleges Sawant prepared fake e-way bills, arranged for offshore remittances through hawala channels, and diverted 467 MT of inshell walnuts into the local market, completely bypassing export obligations.
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