The investigation revealed that nine importers had brought in the 295 containers through Mundra and Kandla ports since March 2026. Photo: X/@FinMinIndia
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) said it has detected and stopped another attempt by smugglers to bring into India goods from Pakistan, something that is prohibited, and has arrested four people related to the matter. In a release, the DRI said that it had detected the import of 295 containers carrying 7,311 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin industrial or Himalayan rock salt, which it said had an estimated market value of around ₹30 crore.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, the Indian government had banned the direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, in the interest of national security and public policy.
It explained that the consignments were routed through Colombo Port in Sri Lanka, and had fake certificates of origin and invoices issued by UAE-based entities.
“Acting on specific intelligence, DRI launched a coordinated, fortnight-long operation between September 26 and October 11, 2026, conducting searches at linked premises in Gandhidham, Adipur, Veraval, Panipat, Pune, Patiala, Delhi and Mumbai,” the DRI said.
The investigation revealed that nine importers had brought in the 295 containers through Mundra and Kandla ports since March 2026, in violation of the prohibition on the import of goods originating in or exported from Pakistan.
Of the 295 containers detected, five containers carrying 140 MT of the salt, valued at ₹24.41 lakh, were seized at Kandla Port. Further, the proceeds of sales of this salt, amounting to ₹20.96 lakh, has also been seized from the importers’ bank accounts.
“Preliminary investigation has uncovered a transnational network involving entities owned by Pakistani, UAE, Sri Lankan and Indian nationals,” DRI said. “The network allegedly coordinated the shipments and supporting documentation to disguise the Pakistani origin of the goods.”
“Significantly, Bills of Lading relating to the Pakistan-Sri Lanka leg of the shipments and customs declarations filed with Sri Lanka Customs expressly mentioned Pakistan as the country of origin and India as the final destination,” it added. “The Certificates of Origin submitted by the importers were found to be fabricated.”
Two proprietors or partners of importing firms, a Customs broker’s G-card holder, and the owner of a Dubai-based supplier who had also established and operated an importing firm in his father’s name have all been arrested.
Published – October 14, 2026 11:41 pm IST
