Hindustan Times ·
DRI seizes Pakistan-origin dry dates worth <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>5.66 crore
DRI seizes Pakistan-origin dry dates worth ₹5.66 crore
The consignment was intercepted against the backdrop of India’s prohibition on the direct or indirect import or transit of goods originating in or exported from Pakistan
Mumbai: More than 362 metric tonnes of allegedly Pakistan-origin dry dates worth ₹5.66 crore have been seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) after the agency found that the consignment had allegedly been routed through the UAE to conceal its Pakistani origin and get around India’s ban on imports from Pakistan.
The consignment was intercepted against the backdrop of India’s prohibition on the direct or indirect import or transit of goods originating in or exported from Pakistan. The restriction was imposed by the Government of India, in the interest of national security, following the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025 and has been in force since May 2, 2025, under a Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notification.
The dates were packed in 13 containers and had arrived from Jebel Ali port in the UAE at a container freight station (CFS) in Ambad, Nashik. The consignment was imported by a Mumbai-based firm, with the accompanying documents declaring the UAE as the country of origin, DRI officials said.
The seizure followed specific intelligence received by the agency as part of an operation internally referred to as ‘Operation Deep Manifest’.
The agency’s preliminary investigation found that the dates had allegedly originated in Pakistan and had first been shipped from Karachi port to Jebel Ali in one set of containers. At Jebel Ali, the consignment was allegedly transferred into another set of containers and loaded onto a different vessel for shipment to India.
Officials said the alleged trans-shipment was carried out through entities operated by Pakistani nationals and was designed to conceal the actual origin of the goods in the import documents.
The DRI said the case showed how import restrictions could allegedly be circumvented through trans-shipment, misdeclaration and manipulation of documents.
“The seizure underscores DRI’s sustained resolve to identify, disrupt and dismantle sophisticated networks seeking to circumvent trade prohibitions through misdeclaration, trans-shipment and manipulation of documentation, thereby safeguarding national security and strengthening supply chain integrity,” a DRI official said.