The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) has foiled an attempt to evade nearly Tk 60 lakh in customs duties and penalties by detecting a large quantity of undeclared garments in an imported consignment at Dhaka Custom House.

According to the CIID, a special team from its headquarters intercepted the consignment imported by M/S S.B Traders after receiving confidential information about possible misdeclaration.

The shipment, imported under Bill of Entry No. C-765485 dated July 30, 2026, was stopped just before clearance and subjected to a physical inspection.

During the inspection, officials found that the importer had declared 2,699 pieces of garments, while the actual quantity stood at 4,319 pieces, revealing an excess of 1,620 pieces, or 60.02 percent more than declared.

The inspection uncovered significant discrepancies across several product categories. Officials found 48 pieces of ordinary lehenga against the declared 29, 50 pieces of gorgeous lehenga instead of 13, 120 premium sarees against 112 declared, 803 super sarees instead of 112, and 900 medium sarees against the declared 179.

The CIID team also recovered 140 girls’ wear sets against 128 declared, 120 sherwanis instead of 18, and 124 T-shirts against the declared 94.

In another discrepancy, the importer declared 187 gowns, but inspectors found only 100 gowns along with an additional 87 ordinary lehengas, indicating that part of the consignment had been deliberately misdeclared.

The CIID said the operation prevented an attempt to evade customs duties and taxes amounting to Tk 31.71 lakh. Including an equivalent redemption fine, the total recoverable amount is estimated at nearly Tk 60 lakh.

A detailed report has been sent to Dhaka Custom House for necessary legal action.

The intelligence agency said it would continue surveillance and special operations against undeclared imports and customs duty evasion to safeguard government revenue and ensure transparency in import and export activities.