Odisha: Illegal supplies to foreign ships busted off Paradip Coast

Paradip, May 6: In a major crackdown, the Paradip Marine Police in Odisha uncovered a secret operation involving the unauthorized supply of goods to foreign ships anchored offshore and arrested three persons in this connection.

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Acting on a tip-off, police carried out a surprise late-night raid at the Nehru Bungalow Fishing Harbour in Paradip. They found that smugglers were using local fishing boats to transport goods including industrial pipes and motors to foreign vessels waiting in deep sea.

These operations were being carried out without customs clearance causing a huge loss of government revenue.

During the raid, police seized industrial equipment including pipes, motors, and a pick-up van used to bring the materials to the harbor worth about Rs 10 lakh.

Three people have been arrested so far. They include the driver and owner of the van, and the owner of the boat involved in the smuggling. Another person connected to the case is still on the run.

Police confirmed that the goods were being smuggled out of the country using fishing vessels, all while avoiding detection by customs officials.

The illegal operation is believed to have earned the smugglers crores of rupees in untaxed profits.

The arrestees are being questioned and efforts are on to ascertain the identify of others involved in the racket.

As of now, no official statement has been made by the customs or port authorities.