The market value of the UK’s world-famous Rolls Royce branded car is Tk 27 crores. After importing a car of this brand, the importer removed it before customs clearance. The officers of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate recovered and seized the vehicle.
According to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, the cylinder capacity of this vehicle is 6,750. Such vehicles have to be taxed at eight times the taxable value. The year of production of this sports utility-type vehicle is 2021. The model name is Cullinan SUV.
According to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, Z&Z Intimates Limited, a joint venture between Hong Kong and Bangladesh in Chittagong EPZ, imported the car at a duty-free facility. The vehicle was taken to the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (EPZ) after its import last April. The documents are then submitted to the customs house for customs clearance. However, before customs clearance, the vehicle was moved to the house of the company’s Managing Director in Baridhara, Dhaka on 17 May. After hearing this news, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate first conducted an operation in Chittagong EPZ. After confirmation, under the leadership of the Joint Director of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate Shamsul Arefin Khan, a raid was conducted in the garage of the Managing Director of the company in Baridhara. They seized the car from the garage of that house on 4 July.
The Customs Intelligence Directorate said in a notification that under the rules in which the importer has imported the vehicle under the duty-free facility, only vehicles with a capacity of 2,000 cylinders capacity is supposed to get this facility. However, according to the sticker on the bonnet of the imported car, its cylinder capacity is 6,750. In other words, if you don’t get the duty-free facility, Tk 24 crores customs duty will have to be paid on the import of the car. The matter is being verified.
The Customs Intelligence Directorate also said that the importer violated the provisions of the customs act by hiding the vehicle in the garage without going through the customs clearance process. This action is being seen as smuggling. The seized vehicle has been deposited in the customs warehouse of Dhaka Customs House.
