Ten Indian garment exporters are under the Bangladesh Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate probe for money laundering of over ₹295 crores (USD 35 million) under the cover of exporting ready made garments. In a letter to their Indian counterparts, Bangladesh customs named 10 Indian garment exporters identified as Pragya Fashion, Fashion Trade, MDS Fashion, Hong Kong Fashion, Three Star Trading, Fortune Fashion, Anupam Fashionware, Pixi Knitwears, Stylize BD and Eden Style Tex exporting garments from Chattogram Port Container Terminal but the foreign currency was not being repatriated.
Bangladesh customs has alleged the exporting firms forged bills of exports using the export license and codes of other exporting firms to smuggle remittance abroad. The probe identified 1,234 shipments of 9,121 metric tonnes of exports with repatriable foriegn exchange of USD 35 million. Bangladesh has shared documents to the India of the garment dealers exporting T-shirts, tops, trousers, baby sets, women fashion clothing etc to UAE, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and other African nations using Chhatogram port facilities. "Bangladesh has shared details of some exporters in which the bills of exports did not match the information stated in the bill of exports and EXP," confirmed a senior Indian Customs official. The exporters had allegedly mentioned Southeast Bank as holding lien for the shipments of the export value of the sales contracts in the bill of exports.
Bangladesh Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate Joint Director Shamsul Arefin Khan denied Southeast bank had received funds from abroad for the exports. "It is a case of money laundering by garments exporters in collusion with Clearing and Forwarding agents to clear customs formalities and ship the exports consignment," he said.
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