MUMBAI: The Special Investigation and Intelligence Branch (SIIB) of Customs on Tuesday arrested a woman film producer and two Customs agents for importing prohibited Blank Cartridges 9mm (air gun pellets) and using them for film shooting.
The Customs arrested film producer Firoza Khatoon, proprietor of Firoza Movies International Enterprises, and two Custom brokers — Mahendra Ruparel (71) and Shailash Kathe under the customs act.
Officials said that they were produced in a local court which remanded them in two days judicial custody. According to the Customs, in August 2021 the movie firm had through bill of entry had imported ‘Blank cartridges 9mm’ (Air gun pellets dummy) through customs broker. The firm had imported three consignments of blank cartridges and live consignment totalling 78,000 cartridges.
Firoza’s advocate Ajay Umapati Dubey said, “In the past, these pellets have been imported. My client has been wrongly arrested. She imported them on instructions of custom agents and has been wrongly booked.”
Officials said that as per Schedule 1 Import Policy, pellets are restricted. However the importer has deliberately mis-declared the goods as "Air Gun Pellet Dummy" to circumvent the restriction of import policy.
Officials said that Arms Rules 2016 mentions the requirement of licence for arms and ammunition for theatrical, film or TV production. The importer has not produced any valid certificate for import of blank cartridges.
The Customs had sent the samples to the Central forensic science laboratory for testing the same.
