An alarming rise in customs evasion at Sonahat Land Port and Chilmari River Port has surfaced, revealing a network of underreported imports facilitated by corrupt officials and employees.
Investigations indicate that coal and stone imports from India are being systematically misdeclared, implicating revenue officials, customs and freight (C&F) agents, and importers in the process.
Evidence supporting these claims has been uncovered, including a recent raid conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at Sonahat Land Port, which confirmed the allegations.
In addition to customs evasion, significant irregularities have been reported in coal imports at Chilmari River Port, pointing to fraudulent activities with potential ties to money laundering.
Notably, a coal-laden bulkhead from India, initially declared as originating from a third country, was later cleared through a new letter of credit (LC), bypassing regulations.
A revenue official has admitted to these irregularities.
Sources at Sonahat Land Port confirm that coal and stone are frequently imported from India through LCs, with actual import quantities often exceeding the declared amounts.
The customs duty on these excess goods is not deposited into the government treasury; instead, it is allegedly divided among customs officials, C&F agents, and importers.
How the scam operates
Anonymous importers and C&F agents have revealed that for every LC, the actual quantity of goods exceeds the declared value, with duties only paid on the reported amount.
The excess goods are subject to informal payments, with customs officials allegedly taking 50% of the evaded duty, while 20-30% is shared with C&F agents.
The remaining portion benefits the importers.
An importer operating at Sonahat Land Port disclosed: “If the duty on the excess goods in an LC is Tk4 lakh, then customs gets half, while C&F agents take 20-30%, depending on the importer.”
Following these allegations, the ACC conducted a raid at Sonahat Land Port on February 25.
In a statement on its verified Facebook page, the ACC confirmed that its preliminary review validated the allegations of underreporting stone and coal imports.
Irregularities in coal imports
In January, North Bengal Enterprise, an importer, used a third-country declaration (Malaysia) to import 4,000 tons of coal from Dhubri, India, via Chilmari River Port.
The C&F agent involved was M/S Sonali Traders.
On January 14, two bulkheads—MB Mehtab-Tahasin-1 (carrying 125 tons) and MB Matin (carrying 115 tons)—arrived at Chilmari’s Kanchkol Port.
Tushar, a pilot at Chilmari Port, confirmed their entry.
However, since the third-country LC lacked Bangladesh Bank’s approval, customs officials initially refused to clear the goods.
In an apparent attempt to bypass money laundering laws, the importer kept the bulkheads at the port for a month and on February 13, secured a new LC for 350 tons through Islami Bank’s Rangpur branch.
Despite clear irregularities, customs officials approved the release of coal on February 27.
A third bulkhead, Padma-2, carrying 110 tons, was also cleared under the same LC.
Port officials described the case as highly unusual, noting that issuing LCs after the arrival of goods is unprecedented.
Additionally, each of the three bulkheads allegedly carried 40-50 tons more coal than declared, with duties on this excess quantity evaded.
Revenue officer Mizanur Rahman acknowledged the irregularities but downplayed their significance, saying: “Some extra may come in. It happens. But it’s not a lot.”
When pressed for LC documents, he declined, saying: “What will you do with them now? The duty tax has been collected. No need to worry about what’s been done.”
He even requested this reporter not to report on the issue, saying: “If you publish the news, it will make things worse for the port.”
Attempts to reach Assistant Commissioner Nargis Akhter of Kurigram Circle for comments were unsuccessful.
Md Ziaur Rahman Khan, additional commissioner of the Rangpur Division, said: “I will need to look into this before commenting.”
