Huge number of mobile phones seized, 9 held

Staff Correspondent: Officials of Customs intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) on Saturday seized 262 illegal mobile phone sets worth over Tk two crores by conducting drives in the capital’s Bashundhara Shopping Complex, Mohakhali, Gulshan and Uttara area.

The seized items included 121 expensive iPhones, 125 HTCs, 15 LGs and one Apple Watch.

The officials said the seized phone sets entered the country evading all duties and taxes.

A team comprising of customs intelligence, revenue officials, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Dhaka Metropolitan Police started over three-hour long raid simultaneously at different spots from 11:00am.

Apart from the shopping malls, the team led by Additional Director General Kazi Ziauddin conducted a drive at a house in Mohakhali DOHS area and seized machineries and illegal parts for making fake iphone sets.

A total of nine people, seven from Mohakhali and two from Uttara were arrested in charge of making or selling illegal or fake mobile phone sets.

After the drive, Director General of CIID Dr Md Shahidul Islam said the government has been losing huge amount of duty due to sale of these unauthorized mobile sets, which mostly enters the country through personal baggage. These illegal phone sets are not recorded in BTRC files, he said.

"We will show zero tolerance to check selling of illegal mobile phone sets. We are committed to bring the syndicate of illegal mobile phone sellers and makers under legal action," he added.

He said the government will not allow selling any unauthorized illegal mobile phone sets in Bangladesh market. "Our drive will be continuing regularly in the coming days," he added.


risingbd/Dhaka/May 19, 2018/MA Rahman/AI