DRI seizes ₹30.25 Cr illegal consignment at Nhava Sheva, father-son duo arrested

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized a massive consignment of prohibited communication devices and electronic waste at Nhava Sheva Port, exposing a case of large-scale import violations and misdeclaration, officials said on Saturday.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials intercepted eight containers shipped from China and uncovered 11,060 banned walkie-talkie sets along with second-hand hard disk drives (HDDs) . While the seized contraband is valued at ₹9.25 crore , the total consignment which included other electronic items was worth ₹30.25 crore .

According to officials, the illegal items were concealed among miscellaneous electronic goods valued at around ₹21 crore in an attempt to evade detection. The entire shipment was seized on charges of misdeclaration under the Customs Act .

The seized goods included Baofeng BF-888S walkie-talkies worth ₹2.5 crore, which have been blacklisted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for operating beyond permissible frequencies. Authorities said such devices can be used for unauthorised communication , posing potential national security risks , and require specific licences for import and use.

In addition, second-hand HDDs worth ₹6.75 crore , classified as e-waste , were also seized. Their import is restricted and requires prior authorisation from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which was not obtained in this case.

A father-son duo , who own two Mumbai-based firms responsible for importing the consignment without the necessary permissions, have been arrested under the Customs Act , the release said. Further investigation is underway to determine the extent of the network and possible end-use of the prohibited devices.

Officials said the operation highlights ongoing efforts by enforcement agencies to curb illegal imports that may pose both economic and security threats .