Nationwide raids on Customs officials

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 31. Getting into a ``pro-active'' mode, the Central Bureau of Investigation today carried out extensive nationwide searches and raids on the offices and residential premises of 48 Customs officials for their suspected role in a smuggling racket run by Afghan nationals.

The raids were conducted at 35 residential premises and 15 offices in Delhi, six locations in Mumbai, three in Haryana and one each in Kerala and Kolkata. The Customs officials put under the scrutiny of the CBI include officers of the rank of Joint Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and an Additional Commissioner. The CBI action came after the Director-General, Vigilance of the Customs Department, smelt a rat in a smuggling racket in which young Uzbek women were used as carriers to bring in fine Chinese silk and other goods.

Ms. Olga Kazireva, an Uzbek woman, was arrested in August last year on charges of smuggling under the COFEPOSA. During the hearing of her bail petition, the Sessions Judge had adversely commented on the ``vicious link'' between Customs officials and smugglers and said it should be looked into by the CBI.

The Sessions Court observation was upheld by the Delhi High Court and it handed over the case to the CBI. The case was registered under Section 120-B and 420 of the IPC as well as provisions of the PCA, 1988.

Sources in the CBI said the Customs officials were reportedly paid $700 to $800 for each large baggage and $400 for each small baggage brought in by women from Uzbekistan and other CIS countries.

It came to light that Ms. Olga Kozireva had travelled to India for over 68 times in the past one year alone. A total of 84 trips had been made by her since 1997.

In today's search operations, over 400 CBI personnel were mobilised with adequate technical and administrative support in five States. The agency spokesman, Mr. S. M. Khan, said several documents, cash, foreign currency, cell phones, computers had been seized and further scrutiny was still on.

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