DRI uncovers Rs 2,500 crore duty evasion through fraudulent SAFTA claims on areca nuts

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has uncovered a large-scale racket in which areca nuts sourced from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries were allegedly imported into India by falsely declaring Bangladesh as their country of origin, causing a potential customs revenue loss of more than Rs 2,500 crore, according to a Ministry of Finance press release, issued on Sunday.