A Chennai-based importer’s tweet exposing a 7-lakh-rupee bribe demand by customs officers has sparked widespread outrage on-line. Prawin Ganeshan took to X (previously Twitter) to share his ordeal, revealing how his cargo from China was caught for over 72 hours resulting from a requirement for bribes allegedly facilitated by an agent named Sridhar.
“Appraisal officer calls for 7 L bribe for my cargo via his bribe assortment agent Sridhar, CHA @ Chennai. Faceless evaluation, but they’ve brokers to demand bribe like this from importers,” Ganeshan wrote, tagging Chennai Customs, the Central Board of Oblique Taxes and Customs (CBIC), and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Ganeshan detailed that this was his first time importing merchandise from China. He claimed that after a question concerning his final three Payments of Entry (BOE) for related commodities, the customs home agent demanded a bribe value two to a few instances the cargo’s worth, citing the Scheme for Import of Items (SiiB) as a cause.
Chennai Customs responded, asking Ganeshan to offer the small print of his consignment for additional investigation. Ganeshan later confirmed that he shared the Invoice of Entry quantity and added, “I’ve audio recordings of CHA and the appraising officer’s agent demanding a ruthless 7 lakhs for clearing the invoice.”
In a separate submit he even shared a video with the audio recording with the customs officer. He wrote, ‘I’m not making baseless allegation with out proof,this individual sridhar well-known in customs circle as agent to gather bribe on behalf of officer sitting in delhi,the officer desires to deal solely by way of him and no lesser provide than 7 Lakhs for my cargo.’
The submit has gone viral, amassing over 3.4 lakh views and 45,000 likes, with a number of customers sharing their experiences of corruption in customs procedures.
One person commented, “Kudos to you for naming and shaming them. Many companies embrace such bribes as ‘facilitation charges’ and infrequently communicate out.” One other wrote, “Even with frequent transfers, the rot continues. Officers declare higher-ups demand these bribes.”
Others recounted related incidents, with one person stating they needed to pay 5,000 rupees as a substitute of 500 to activate their ICEGATE ID, whereas one other reported paying bribes to clear chemical substances for export regardless of presenting correct paperwork.
