LUDHIANA: In a major operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Ludhiana arrested a prominent carpet businessman of Srinagar.
The businessman, identified as Irfan Rashid Khan, has been arrested on the charges of wrongly claiming incentives of about Rs 30 crores on exports of Rs 190 crore worth carpets by wrongly declaring their quality to be of silk, whereas these probably were of some inferior material on which very less rate of government incentives is available.
The businessman has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a court. After his arrest, more companies from the valley who have exported a huge quantity of carpets and availed huge incentives too have come under DRI scanner.
Giving more information about the scam, a source privy to the case said, “Based on directions of DRI’s additional director general Nitin Saini, raids were conducted in New Delhi and Srinagar and Irfan Rashid Khan of Srinagar who is into business of exports of carpets was arrested.
Since 2018, the accused through four firms had done exports of more than Rs 190 crore to Dubai and he had claimed incentives of more than Rs 30 crore on these exports. In the investigation conducted so far, it has emerged that Irfan was exporting carpets of inferior quality by wrongly declaring them to be silk carpets on which high rate of incentives and duty drawbacks are available. He was arrested on February 24 from Ludhiana and further investigation in this case is underway.”
According to sources, the accused is believed to be the main kingpin of this case. Some of his associates too are under the agency’s scanner and there could be more arrests in coming days in connection with this case, sources added.
