Narayanganj:The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has uncovered preliminary evidence of Tk 269.48 crore in customs duty and tax evasion at six bonded textile factories in Narayanganj. This discovery follows simultaneous raids conducted by the CIID.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the raids were carried out on October 8 in Rupganj, Bandar, and Araihazar upazilas, based on confidential information. The operations were supported by the Special Response Battalion (SRB).
The investigation revealed discrepancies between the actual stocks of yarn, fabrics, chemicals, and other raw materials at the factories compared to their stock registers and the Customs Bond Management System (CBMS). This led the CIID to collect and analyze import-related information from the National Board of Revenue's (NBR) Management Information System (MIS), initially estimating the revenue evasion at Tk 269,48,55,807.
The six textile firms implicated and their estimated revenue evasion include Sim Fabrics Limited, Rupganj (Tk 90.77 crore), Zahin Knitwears Limited, Bandar (Tk 64.61 crore), Sanjana Fabrics Limited, Rupganj (Tk 60.33 crore), Bonafide Knitting Mills Limited, Araihazar (Tk 39.50 crore), Mozaffar Hossain Spinning Mills Limited, Rupganj (Tk 4.83 crore), and Jamal Uddin Textiles Private Limited, Bandar (Tk 9.45 crore).
The CIID alleges that these firms misused bonded warehouse facilities by diverting duty-free imported materials to the domestic market instead of using them for production and export. The raids highlighted significant shortages of yarn and fabrics at some factories, while others had stocks exceeding declared quantities, indicating potential misuse of bonded facilities.
The directorate has stated that bonded facilities are intended to support export-oriented industries by allowing duty-free import of raw materials. However, diverting these materials to the domestic market deprives the government of revenue and creates unfair competition for compliant businesses.
Documents and information related to imports, production, stock, and consumption were collected during the raids. The CIID is conducting further verification and analysis of these records, and the preliminary estimate of Tk 269.48 crore may change as the investigation progresses.
The CIID plans to determine the actual amount of revenue evasion after completing the investigation and will pursue legal action against those responsible. The directorate anticipates that continued intelligence and enforcement actions against the misuse of bonded facilities will encourage businesses to import raw materials through regular duty- and tax-paying channels, positively impacting revenue collection.