"We have seized a Singapore-flagged tug Bosch Assistor and barge Bosch Giant-II from mid sea, which were used to ferry metal scrap not declared under Import General Manifest (IGM), which is in violation of Customs Act," a DRI official told PTI.
Prima facie customs duty evasion on scrap is estimated to be of over Rs 22 lakh, he said refusing to divulge the nature and value of the scrap material as investigation is in progress.
He also said that the DRI has not detained any crew members in this regard.
According to DRI, declaration of items loaded on vessels under IGM is mandatory as per provisions of Customs Act and any violation of it tantamount to duty evasion.