On Thursday, November 18, a joint team from Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized eight containers from a foreign vessel at Mundra Port, over concerns that they carried undeclared hazardous goods, including potentially radioactive material. The cargo which was en route from Karachi in Pakistan to Shanghai in China was intercepted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs officials at the Mundra port in Gujarat’s Kutch district.
Since the port is managed by the Adani group, the latter shared a media statement released on the aforementioned matter through its official Twitter handle Friday.
Media Statement on the seizure of hazardous cargo containers by Customs & DRI at Mundra Port.@Adaniports
— Adani Group (@AdaniOnline) November 19, 2021
In a media statement, Adani Group said that on November 18, Thursday, a joint Customs and DRI team seized several containers at the Mundra Port from a foreign vessel on concerns that they contained undeclared hazardous cargo.
The company further stated that the cargo was listed as ‘non-hazardous’, but the seized containers had Hazard Class 7 markings (which indicate radioactive substances).
Despite the fact that the containers were not bound for Mundra Port or any other Indian port, but rather were en route from Karachi, Pakistan, to Shanghai, China, government officials had them offloaded at Mundra Port for further inspection.
The company lauded the Customs and DRI employees for their alertness and vigilance and said that APSEZ had provided all sorts of support and assistance possible for this operation
In conclusion, the company wrote that APSEZ would continue to support any action that keeps India secure. The Adani Group is committed to national security and will not allow it to be jeopardised in any way”, read the statement.
It is pertinent to note here that, after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence(DRI) officials in September, confiscated 9000 crores worth heroin, sent from Afghanistan’s Kandahar through a port in Iran, at Mundra port in Gujarat’s Kutch district, the Adani group had banned import and export of containerised cargo coming to its Mundra Port from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
The DRI on September 16, 2021, had recovered narcotics from two containers from a cargo consignment that arrived at Mundra port. As per reports, the heroin consignment had originated from Afghanistan and it was dispatched as a consignment of semi-processed talc stones. The consignment had arrived from Bandar Abbas Port, Iran.
Since the narcotics substance originated from Afghanistan now ruled by the radical Islamic terrorist outfit Taliban, the Centre and the probe agency had not ruled out it as a case of narco-terrorism. Due to the seriousness of the case and its international ramification, the NIA had been assigned the investigation.
