Kerala: CBI probe likely into car import case

KOCHI: Unearthing links from across the border, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has found the Pakistan connections of Alex C Joseph, who is under custody in the foreign luxury car import case. Realising the gravity of the issue, the DRI is planning to ask for a CBI inquiry so that the probe could be extended to other countries.“Ten years ago, Alex imported a Toyota Lexus from Karachi, which cost Rs 65 lakh then. The car was imported in the name of Muhammed Haneefa from Attingal. To import such a luxury vehicle, one has to spend at least Rs 1 crore, including tax. The DRI has been investigating only the revenue angle of it. To unearth the international links, hawala transactions and criminal conspiracy, a detailed probe by such an agency is essential,” said DRI Senior Intelligence Officer Sayed Muhammed.He further pointed out that Alex had caused a loss of around Rs 500 crore to the state exchequer.Alex was arrested by immigration staff at Shamshabad airport in Hyderabad. He has been at large for the last 11 years after the DRI issued a detention order in 2000 under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act,1974.“During 1998-99, an in-depth investigation was carried out by the DRI into the smuggling of cars. It had then seized several cars imported by Alex. It came to light that even though the cars were documented as being brought from Dubai, some vehicles were purchased from London and Tokyo. The cars imported from Japan were refitted to suit Indian norms and had fake registration certificates. In one case, the vehicle was found to be sent from Karachi. Alex was forging documents of registration, clearance, country of origin and source of funds to clear customs formalities from time to time,” DRI officials said.Alex, who began with chit funds, later entered the new business of dealing with high-value foreign cars.“He would locate Indian buyers looking for premium cars like Mercedes Benz, Toyota Lexus, Mitsubishi Pajero And Toyota Land Cruiser. The price of these vehicles range from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore. Import of such cars were permitted only on Transfer of Residence Rules under the Customs Act.