The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Ahmedabad has busted an international racket involving smugglers from Pakistan, China, Myanmar and India joining hands together to import high-end drones into Indian heartland through the Northeastern border of India.
An official communication issued by the DRI, Ahmedabad said that on Thursday the officials nabbed the alleged Ahmedabad-based mastermind of the racket and he has admitted the offences.
According to DRI, the racket has been going on since 2017 and thousands of drones valued at over Rs 10 crores and involving duty evasion of around Rs 3 crore have been smuggled into India.
The statement further added that the officers of the DRI have been able to intercept and seize 85 high-end drones of DJI Mavic, DJI Phantom and MI brands. Besides, 27 DJI Mavic Air Fly More Kit and 34 DJI Ronin S handheld gimbal stabilizer for DSLR and mirrorless camera, smuggled from China, having a market value of more than Rs 1 crore, were also seized from the tempo that was carrying the said smuggled goods from Air Cargo Complex, Ahmedabad and from the shop of the allegedly involved person in Paldi area of Ahmedabad.
According to DRI, Pakistani-based firms placed an order for drones with Chinese firms. The drones were supplied by Chinese firms to a warehouse located in Dehong, Yunnan located in South China and is close to the eastern border of Myanmar. From Dehong in China, the smugglers from Myanmar were given the task of getting them across China-Myanmar border into Myanmar.
After the drones reached Myanmar, they were transported hundreds of kilometers away to a place called Tamu in Mayanmar. From there it was transported to India through Moreh and on to Imphal.
Various modes were used to transport the drones till Imphal. However, from Imphal, domestic airlines were used to get the drones to Ahmedabad. This was done by declaring the prohibited cargo as camera stand, household goods, electronic items and so on to elude detection by Indian agencies, the statement further stated.
From Ahmedabad it was supplied to various locations in India through courier. The money was sent to the Ahmedabad-based “smuggler” by the Chinese company through hawala transaction operating from Mumbai.
It further stated that illegal drones in private hands can pose a threat to national security as they can be used for espionage and sabotage purposes by the enemy states and anti-national and terrorist groups.
Considering the security risk involved, equipment type approval from wireless planning and coordination wing of the department of telecommunication, import clearance from DGCA, DGFT import licence, DGCA unique identification number etc are required for the import of drones into India, the statement further stated.