Customs officials release 3 tonnes of smuggled tomatoes, probe ordered | India News

NEW DELHI: A probe has been ordered into the circumstances under which customs officials released 3 tonnes of tomatoes that were being smuggled into India from Nepal. The consignment, worth roughly Rs 4.8 lakh, was caught by a joint team of police and Sashastra Seema Bal on July 7 near the Nautanwa area of UP’s Maharajganj district and handed over, along with two vehicles, to customs officials for destruction as per rules.
However, it is alleged that the tomatoes were released by the customs officials only to be intercepted, along with the two vehicles, a day later at Samptiha police outpost. Customs staff claimed that the tomatoes had been destroyed and the two vehicles were different. But CCTV footage from toll plazas and road crossings presented a different picture. Later, customs officials at the Lucknow headquarters were informed about this.
Tomatoes are selling at Rs 160 per kg in Uttar Pradesh, while in Nepal they cost Rs 62-69 in Indian currency. Traders and people from border areas frequent the other side to get items of daily need. However, authorities have limited the value of commercial goods that can be brought in to a maximum of Rs 25,000.
Customs commissioner, Lucknow, Aarti Saxena on Thursday told TOI that apart from a probe being ordered, six officials posted in the border area have been attached to headquarters.