Chennai Customs Officer Arrested in Rs 2 Crore Green Peas Import Scam

A Chennai court has remanded an additional commissioner of Chennai Customs, M Sathishkumar, until February 25 for his alleged role in a Rs 2 crore green peas import scam. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested Sathishkumar, a 2010 batch IRS officer, on Wednesday evening, naming him as the main orchestrator of the fraudulent operation. Officials searched his residence in the TAISHA colony in Virugambakkam, where many government officers reside, on Sunday.

Following his arrest, Sathishkumar was transferred out of the export commissionerate and is likely to be suspended. He is the fourth Customs officer taken into custody in connection with the case, following the arrests of superintendent Shiv Kashyap, appraising officer Nitish Kumar, and examiner Manish. Additionally, a Customs House Agent (CHA) and a Delhi-based importer were arrested under Section 135 of the Customs Act for misdeclaring imported goods.

The DRI’s investigation revealed that the accused officers plotted with an importer to illegally bring green peas into India from Canada via Dubai’s Jebel Ali port by falsely declaring them as yellow pulses. According to the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) regulations, green peas can only be imported through Kolkata port and must meet a minimum import price (MIP) of Rs 200 per kg. Despite these restrictions, the consignment—totalling five containers carrying approximately 100 tonnes of green peas—was cleared through Chennai port.

DRI officials seized the illegal shipment after conducting searches on two containers that had arrived from Dubai last week. Although the goods were declared as urad dal and toor dal, the actual cargo was green peas, a restricted item for import through Chennai. Sources stated that certain goods are restricted to specific ports due to customs regulations, specialized handling requirements, safety concerns, and the need to monitor sensitive agricultural products.

The involvement of senior customs officials is currently under investigation. Since the seized goods were valued at more than Rs 2 crore, the arrested officers face serious charges under customs law. The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding corruption within customs authorities and the need for stricter enforcement of import regulations.