DRI seizes ₹30 crore of Pakistan‑origin salt in major smuggling bust

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized salt worth about ₹30 crore that was illegally brought from Pakistan. DRI said the seizure involved 295 containers carrying 7,311 metric tonnes of industrial or Himalayan rock salt. The containers entered India through Mundra and Kandla ports from March 2026, violating the ban on any import or transit of Pakistan‑origin goods imposed after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. An investigation traced the shipments to a transnational network that used Colombo port in Sri Lanka as a transit point and relied on fake certificates of origin and invoices issued by UAE‑based firms. DRI launched a fortnight‑long operation from September 26 to October 11, 2026, raiding premises in Gandhidham, Adipur, Veraval, Panipat, Pune, Patiala, Delhi and Mumbai. Nine importers were found to have moved the containers, and five of them, holding 140 MT of salt, were seized at Kandla Port. The seized salt was valued at ₹24.41 lakh, and DRI also froze ₹20.96 lakh of sale proceeds from the importers’ bank accounts. Arrests included two owners of importing firms, a customs broker holding a G‑card, and the owner of a Dubai‑based supplier who had set up an Indian firm in his father’s name. DRI noted that Bills of Lading and Sri Lankan customs filings correctly listed Pakistan as the origin, confirming the deliberate attempt to disguise the source.

Context

The ban on Pakistan‑origin goods was issued as a security measure after the Pahalgam attack, aiming to cut off revenue streams that could fund terrorism. Salt, while a low‑value commodity, is used in large volumes and can be a convenient item for illicit trade because it blends with legitimate imports. Smuggling networks often route goods through third‑country ports like Colombo to hide the true origin.