KUMAR--SMUGGLING

DRI and the Dons: The Untold Stories by Shri. B.V. Kumar;Published by Konark Publishers ; Pages 448 ; Price: Rs 525/-

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The author of the book under review Shri.B.V. Kumar joined the Indian Revenue Service in 1958 and was Director General of Revenue Intelligence; Narcotics Control Bureau; Economic Intelligence Bureau and Member, Central Board of Excise and Customs during his distinguished tenure. He neutralised several syndicates which organised economic crime that had global reach.This included smuggling of contraband and drugs. Kumar was conferred by the Press the sobriquet of ‘Supersleuth’.

Kumar has represented India at various international conferences, including Interpol meetings held between 1985 and 1988.

He has authored The Preventive Detention Laws of India, The Darker Side of Black Money – An Insight into the world of Financial Secrecy andTax Havens and The Underground Economy – An Insight into the World of Tax Havens and Money Laundering. He has also published a number of papers on law, taxation, terrorism and organised crime.

The book under review talks about activities such as smuggling of gold, drugs, arms and ammunition, besides extortion and contract killing, and how they directly affected the economies of India and other nations. It mentions various gangland figures, including Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, Haji Mastan, Iqbal Mirchi,etc. One could call it "Smuggler--ayana".There are separate parts on smuggling Gold, Narcotic Drugs,Foreign Currency, Antiquities,Red Sanders, Snakeskins, Diamonds,etc.

Anything related to smuggling always hits the front-page headlines, attracting a lot of attention. Various stringent rules by the Indian government could not put a full stop to this financial ill-practice. Kumar has touched upon all aspects of smuggling and has a clutch of captivating stories on smuggling.

Kumar said that purpose of writing the book on underworld dons, particularly on Dawood Ibrahim and Haji Mastan, was to showcase DRI's matchless contribution in initiating tough action against most dreaded underworld syndicates of South Asia.

"We were the key agency to detain and interrogate Dawood Ibrahim and book him under COFEPOSA. When I got Dawood detained (in July 1983), a petition came up in the High Court of Gujarat for an immediate hearing. On don's behalf, Ram Jethmalani had appeared to get Dawood released from detention" .

Dawood Ibrahim, who later jumped bail and escaped to Dubai is still wanted by the DRI under the COFEPOSA case registered by Kumar.

Kumar is one among a few Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers who led DRI as well as Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and had a wonderful career in which he crushed the notorious underworld syndicates of Mumbai.

He has analysed the functioning of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in combating smuggling and punishing offenders.

The author has recorded some of the most important cases detected by various DRI officers at considerable personal sacrifice. He has expounded the formidable difficulties encountered by the authorised enforcement agencies in combating organised crime. We have a graphic account of the leading cases dealt with by the DRI officers who refused to buckle under any threat, even at the cost of life and limb while dealing with major smuggling syndicates. A few of the gangsters operating in the underworld of Mumbai held the city to ransom and were masters who laid down the law.

Smuggling is believed to be second oldest profession in the world. Smugglers are clever and know how to source country, and the location and safe landing of goods – and control several agents for this purpose. They have the acumen to judge whether the goods should be brought through sea routes, land frontiers or by air, depending upon the value of the goods and the ease with which the goods can breach customs barriers.

A clear portrait is given of the "Lords of Smuggling", Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Haji Haji Ismail, the small time smuggler of Saurashtra who is now a minor don.The author gives copious details of seizures of gold and silver.It is interesting to note that a single smuggler can carry 100 bars of gold weighing 1,000 tolas, valued approximately at Rs37.50 lakh beneath his shirt concealed in a waistcoat specially stitched with 50 slots on either side. These cannot be detected easily unless passed through a metal detector.

All out efforts were made to identify the gang members and their safe houses. On July 21, 1989, specific intelligence indicated that a gang headed by a Gujarat-based smuggler transported a huge quantity of smuggled gold bars in Bombay and two apartment complexes in Santacruz were identified as the likely storage points for the contraband. The officers immediately raided the apartments before they arrived at Flat no 304. Neither the room was locked nor was anyone present there. A search of this room revealed three gunny bags containing 48 bundles and these were no ordinary bundles. They were 1,200 foreign-marked yellow metal bars, which on closer examination were found to be gold bars of 10 tolas each, weighing a total of 12,000 tolas and valued at Rs 4.31 crore (current market value being Rs 45.06 crore).

The 12,000 tolas of gold had obviously been brought into the country in contravention of the law and were seized for further action under the Customs Act.

Factual accounts are furnished of the dramatis personae of smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition, extortion and contract killings (supari) and other nefarious activities.

Most books on the underworld have focused on gang wars, bloodshed and police encounters, but this book dwells on its economics too.

Mr. Sivanandhan, who was Joint commissioner of police (Crime) in Mumbai when the underworld was at its peak is all praise for Kumar’s book. Kumar, explains through first hand accounts of gripping investigations of how enforcement agencies stepped in at various stages to create an “invisible presence” to prevent banking and financial institutions from becoming vulnerable to organised crime, white collar criminals, terrorists and drug traffickers.

"With burgeoning inflation, widening balance of payments deficit and a weak rupee against the dollar , the demand for goods of conspicuous consumption, including gold, luxury goods and electronic goods with the latest technology, would create its own supply. Further, with the tariffs being raised, the availability and cost of such goods will naturally increase,” says Kumar in the Epilogue of the book .

Kumar also warns--"It should also be kept in mind that organised crime would take over all connected operations, since there is a close nexus between organised crime, economic crime, drug trafficking, terrorist activity and money laundering, ultimately resulting in subversion of the democratic politics process.”.

The book which delves deep into the challenges for law enforcement organisations like the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence whose charter of duties has increased manifold over the years. Today these agencies are moving forward to embracing information technology and other key tools to keep pace with the great degree of sophistication that has come into activities of smuggling, tax evasion and commercial fraud.

The book is a laudable account of protected India’s role of DRI and how they have protected India's customs collection and ensured the nation's security. A valuable addition to the literature on this subject.

P.P.Ramachandran.

02/02/2020.