Chattogram:Customs officials have exposed alleged revenue evasion exceeding Tk 1.5 crore by two garment exporters who reportedly misused bonded warehouse facilities. The exporters, Eagle Textiles and Reaz Knitwear Limited, are accused of illegally removing imported fabrics and attempting to export undeclared garments.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the irregularities were found during inspections of export consignments at two inland container depots (ICDs) in Chattogram. A press release from Customs House, ICD, Chattogram detailed these findings.
In the first incident, Eagle Textiles' consignment was thoroughly examined at QNS Container Service Ltd on November 11. Although declared to contain 237 cartons of garments, the inspection revealed 173,349 pieces of undeclared stock-lot garments in 237 sacks. The fabric composition did not match the specifications in the Utilisation Declaration (UD) from the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). Customs officials estimate over Tk 80 lakh in revenue evasion from illegal fabric removal, plus another Tk 9 lakh in avoided VAT.
The second incident involved Reaz Knitwear Limited, where officials found discrepancies in an export consignment at Shafi Motors Limited's off-dock on October 28. The consignment, declared as men's polo shirts, contained 50 different types of garments not listed in the declaration. Additionally, 65,050 pieces of garments with specific fabric composition were missing. This case involved more than Tk 70 lakh in alleged revenue evasion.
Customs authorities are preparing final investigation reports and initiating legal proceedings. They emphasized ongoing surveillance and enforcement to safeguard government revenue and prevent bonded warehouse facility misuse.