CHITTAGONG: Customs officials yesterday confiscated two export containers of garment products after being tipped off about forged bank documents on them.
SN Design, with the registered address of 38 Senpara, Parbata in Dhaka, was the exporter.
The company was carrying 8,034 dozens of garment products worth $52,874 for DMD Boutique in Manila, according to the submitted documents.
However, officials are yet to complete a physical evaluation and suspect the real volume of goods is much higher.
When contacted, Md Shahidul Islam, managing director of SN Design, said his company stopped exporting at least two years ago. “I do have a small garment factory, but I don’t export anymore. I sell to some local customers.”
“Someone has used my licence number without my knowledge. This happened a few years ago as well,” he said, adding that he will file complaints with the customs officials so they take punitive action against the wrongdoers.
Islam also said his company was initially registered with the Parbata address but has since relocated to Uttara.
The containers were seized from the private inland container depot Esac Brothers in Bandar area after finding forged signatures of an official of Sonali Bank on the documents, said Zakir Hossain, deputy director of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate’s Chittagong office.
The exporter intended to launder money by using fake documents, according to Hossain.
The directorate will now investigate 91 similar consignments exported by the same firm over the last three years, he added.
