Luxury cars imported as used parts seized at Ctg Port

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 7: The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department (CIID) has detected a new way of importing luxury vehicles as used car parts to evade taxes.

Recently, CIID seized parts of four luxury cars, including a BMW, at Chattogram Port after they were imported from Japan as used car parts and old petrol engines. Sagar Sen, joint director of the CIID told the Daily Observer that those cars had been seized during a raid at the Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) on September 1 last.

He said that the seized parts included those of a Lexus LX 600 SUV, Lexus SC 430, BMW M5 and Honda Beat NC, along with engines, the front sections of two cars and other components.

Sagar Sen confirmed that the shipment arrived from Japan about a month ago and was being sought for release through auction without submitting the required documents.

He estimated that the cars were valued at between Tk 9.5 crore and Tk 12 crore.  Sen opined that the importer might have imported it in dismantled condition to evade customs duty.

On the basis of secret information, CIID team rushed to Patenga Container Terminal and seized a consignment.  A 40-foot container brought from Japan contained 167 packages totaling 8,018 kg of goods, which were declared as ‘old car parts and used petrol engines including gearboxes’. The goods were arranged in three layers in the container-car parts were kept in the front, and important parts of Lexus and BMW were found behind them.  Later, CIID started investigation into the consignment on the following day. Examination revealed parts of Lexus LX 600, Lexus SC 430 and BMW M5 models along with Honda B18C Type-R engine, car front half or half-cut and other parts.

Sagar Sen said that the consignment arrived at the port on July 10 and no bill of entry was submitted even after nearly one month. Later, information was received that an attempt was being made to clear the goods through auction, following which the consignment was examined.  

According to CIID sources, the exporter is MAHI CAR PORT, Yamagawacho 904-1, Ashikaga-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan and the importer in Bangladesh is CROWN AUTOMOBILE SERVICES, BIN: 000460449-0301, of Dinanath Sen Road, Gandaria, Sutrapur PS, Dhaka-1204, Bangladesh. Documentary Credit (LC) No. is 229126010025, issue Date: 11/06/2026 and issuing Bank First Security Islami Bank PLC.

Crown Automobile Services, a Dhaka-based importer, has again allegedly been found involved in the same strategy of importing luxury cars in pieces by declaring them as old car parts, this time at Chattogram Port. A similar consignment under the same importer’s name was seized at Mongla Port a few days ago.

The following day, three more cars were seized from a hotel in Cox’s Bazar. The owners claimed the vehicles were gifts from their father.  Acting on a tip-off, a CIID team from its Chattogram regional office seized the BMW from Sattar Manzil (BTI Building) on KB Abdus Sattar Road in Rahmatganj on 27 August.  

During the operation, CIID officials questioned Sultana Farhana Jahan, wife of the BMW’s current owner, Mohammad Ayub, who is abroad, and asked her to produce documents related to the vehicle’s purchase and import. But she could not provide any such documents.  CIID and Rapid Action Battalion officials also asked several times for the vehicle’s keys, but the owner’s family refused to hand them over.  As neither the documents nor the keys were produced, the CIID team seized the BMW from the parking area.  CIID said its preliminary investigation found evidence supporting the possibility that the vehicle had been brought into Bangladesh through false declaration, customs duty evasion, smuggling or forged documents.

Sagar Sen said, “legal action will be taken against the responsible persons and the concerned firms after thorough investigation within a very short time.”