New Delhi, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized more than 362 metric tonnes of Pakistan-origin dry dates in a major enforcement action against alleged attempts to bypass India’s prohibition on imports from Pakistan through third countries, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted 13 containers carrying dry dates imported by a Mumbai-based firm at the Container Freight Station (CFS) Ambad in Nashik. The consignments had arrived from Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, with the import documents declaring the UAE as the country of origin.
The agency’s preliminary investigation found that the consignments were allegedly part of a planned transshipment arrangement intended to conceal their Pakistan origin.
According to the DRI investigation, the dry dates were first shipped from Karachi Port in Pakistan to Jebel Ali Port in the UAE in one set of containers aboard a vessel. At Jebel Ali, the goods were transferred into another set of containers and loaded onto a different vessel for onward shipment to India.
The DRI said the onward movement was allegedly facilitated through entities operated by Pakistani nationals.
The seizure comes after the government prohibited the direct or indirect import or transit of goods originating in or exported from Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. The restriction took effect on May 2, 2025, under DGFT Notification No. 06/2025-26 and covers goods routed both directly and through third countries.
Under Operation Deep Manifest, the DRI has been identifying and intercepting Pakistan-origin goods allegedly routed through third countries to evade the import restrictions.
The latest action underscores the agency’s efforts to detect networks allegedly involved in circumventing trade prohibitions through misdeclaration, transshipment and manipulation of import documents. The DRI said such enforcement measures are intended to safeguard national security and strengthen the integrity and transparency of India’s supply chains.
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