New Delhi, September 14 (Daily Kiran) : The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has conducted a significant operation, resulting in the seizure of over 362 metric tons of dried dates imported from Pakistan. These goods were smuggled into India by circumventing the ban on imports from Pakistan through other countries, as announced by the Finance Ministry on Monday.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials intercepted 13 containers filled with dried dates at the Container Freight Station (CFS) in Nashik. These containers, imported by a Mumbai-based company, arrived from Jebel Ali in the UAE. However, the import documents falsely indicated the UAE as the country of origin. Initial investigations revealed that this shipment was allegedly part of a planned transshipment arrangement aimed at concealing the true origin of the goods.
The DRI emphasized that such enforcement actions are crucial for safeguarding national security and enhancing the transparency and reliability of India’s supply chains.
According to the investigation, the dried dates were initially shipped from Karachi port in Pakistan to Jebel Ali port in the UAE. There, the goods were merely transshipped and transferred to another vessel bound for India.
The DRI noted that this process of transporting goods to India was facilitated by entities operated by Pakistani nationals. This seizure comes in the wake of the central government’s ban on direct and indirect imports and transits of goods originating from or exported by Pakistan, implemented following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
These restrictions were enforced under a DGFT notification on May 2, 2025, and aim to prohibit not only direct imports but also goods sent through third countries in the interest of national security.
Under “Operation Deep Manifest,” the DRI is actively identifying and preventing the entry of Pakistani-origin goods into India that are being routed through third countries to evade import restrictions. This recent seizure underscores the agency’s ongoing efforts to uncover and dismantle networks attempting to bypass trade restrictions through false declarations, transshipment, and document manipulation.
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