CBI court convicts former excise inspector, trader in Rs 32.28 crore customs fraud case

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], September 17 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Visakhapatnam has convicted and sentenced Kalaka Ramdas, then Inspector of Central Excise and Customs, Srikakulam Range, along with Polaki Janakiram of Vandragi village in Srikakulam district, and a private company in a Rs 32.28 crore fraud case, the agency said in a release on Wednesday.
According to the release, all three have been awarded five years' imprisonment each. The court also imposed fines of Rs 1,01,000 on Ramdas, Rs 2,51,000 on Janakiram, and Rs 2,01,000 on the company, amounting to a total fine of Rs 5.53 lakh.
"CBI registered the instant case on 30.08.2005. It was alleged that a private person entered into a criminal conspiracy with the accused P.Janakiram to cheat the Excise and Customs duties. Jankiram impersonated as Palla Kesava Rao, and they established the accused firm in the name of M/s. SBGTC (M/s. Sri Balaji General Trading Company). Further, the accused P.Janakiram, by impersonating as P.Kesava Rao and by forging the signatures in the name of the non-existent Kesava Rao, applied to Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone (VSEZ) for a Trading License and Import and Export Code, and also applied to the Central Excise for declaring the premises as a Warehousing Station under the Customs Act," it said.
The CBI further said that the accused P. Janakiram by impersonating as P. Kesava Rao procured duty free materials from the three firms at Maligaon and also by import and fraudulently cleared them as deemed export to the three firms at Mumbai against Advance Release Orders (AROs) in violation of EXIM Policy Guidelines in conspiracy with the accused Public Servant namely K. Ramdas, the then Inspector, Central Excise & Customs, Srikakulam Range, Srikakulam, A.P. & others and thereby cheated Excise and Customs Duty of Rs.32.28 Crore on the procured materials.
After completion of the investigation, CBI filed a Charge Sheet on 29.08.2008.
The Hon'ble Court, after the trial, convicted and sentenced the above-mentioned accused accordingly. After the pronouncement of judgment, convicts Kalaka Ramdas and Polaki Janakiram have been sent to Central Prison, Visakhapatnam, it added. (ANI)