Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Mar 22: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized over 11,000 prohibited walkie-talkie sets and second-hand hard disk drives (HDDs) valued at Rs 9.25 crore at Nhava Sheva Port, officials said on Saturday.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials confiscated Baofeng BF-888S walkie-talkies worth Rs 2.50 crore and second-hand HDDs—classified as e-waste—worth Rs 6.75 crore.

The goods were found concealed among miscellaneous electronic items, part of a larger consignment valued at Rs 30.25 crore imported from China through eight containers. The entire shipment was seized for misdeclaration, officials said.

Authorities revealed that the consignment had been imported without necessary permissions by two Mumbai-based firms owned by a father-son duo. Both individuals have been arrested under the Customs Act.

The Baofeng BF-888S devices have been blacklisted by the Department of Telecommunications for operating beyond permitted frequencies, raising concerns over unauthorised communication and potential threats to national security.

Officials added that the import of second-hand HDDs requires prior authorisation from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, which was not obtained in this case.