Rs 9 crore worth walkie-talkies, e-waste hard disks seized at Navi Mumbai port

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence DRI has seized walkietalkie sets and secondhand hard disk drives HDDs collectively valued at Rs 925 crore at Nhava Sheva Port in Navi Mumbai officials said reported the PTIThey said that 11060 prohibited walkietalkie sets and secondhand hard disk drives were seized during an operationThe owners of two Mumbaibased firms involved in the imports mdash a father and son mdash have been arrested under the Customs Act for bringing in the goods without the required permissionsActing on specific intelligence DRI officials recovered Baofeng BF888S walkietalkies worth Rs 250 crore and secondhand HDDs valued at Rs 675 crore according to the PTIThe prohibited items were hidden among miscellaneous electronic goods worth Rs 21 croreEntire consignment seizedOfficials said that the full consignment valued at Rs 3025 crore and shipped from China in eight containers was seized due to misdeclaration as per the PTIThe walkietalkies have been blacklisted by the Department of Telecommunications DoT as they operate beyond permitted frequencies and can be used for unauthorised communication posing potential national security risks the news agency reportedSuch devices require specific licences for import and useEwaste import restrictionsSecondhand HDDs are classified as ewaste and cannot be imported without prior approval from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade DGFT officials added the news agency reportedMumbai Police seize Rs 16 lakh fake Apple accessories in GhatkoparMeanwhile Mumbai Police has seized a large quantity of counterfeit mobile accessories in Ghatkopar officials saidAccording to the police during a raid authorities seized fake products worth approximately Rs 1633 lakh and filed cases against six shopkeepers allegedly involved in the operationThe crackdown followed intelligence reports that several shops in Ghatkopar East were selling fake Apple accessories as original items Police teams focused on the Patel Chowk and Niloyog Mall areas where these products were reportedly being sold openlyTo ensure swift action police formed six separate teams and conducted simultaneous raids across different locations This prevented the accused from escaping and allowed authorities to recover a large quantity of counterfeit goodsThe seized items included mobile chargers adapters USB cables mobile covers back panels earphones AirPods and batteries Officials noted that the products closely resembled genuine Apple accessories making it difficult for customers to distinguish between real and fake itemsThe six accused have been booked under Sections 51 and 63 of the Copyright Act The seized goods have been sealed and sent for further examination while police continue to investigate and track other individuals linked to the racketOfficials emphasised that similar drives against counterfeit products will continue across Mumbai to protect consumers and curb the illegal sale of fake branded goodsWith PTI and IANS Inputs