DRI seizes Zydus’s private jet
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- Current News
- Friday, 04 January 2013 14:11
- Published on Friday, 04 January 2013 14:11
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Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
Officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized a business jet owned by Zest Aviation Pvt Ltd (ZAPL), a Zydus Group and Sintex Industries backed company for allegedly evading import duty.
The Rs 70-crore a Challenger 604 aircraft had been imported from Canada by ZAPL in June last year. At the time of its import, the company had stated that it will be using the aircraft as a charter.
According to DRI officials, the aircraft was used as a private aircraft by Zydus Group chairman Pankaj Patel to reach distant facilities in Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The aircraft logbook suggests it was used for private trips not for a charter service.
DRI has asked the company to pay Rs 11 crore as import duty on the aircraft. The company had paid Rs 2 Crore as 2.5% basic import duty which is paid by charter planes instead of the 17% duty which is paid for private planes.
This is not the first instance of an aircraft being seized in Gujarat. In 2008, customs department had seized Adani group’s Rs 59-crore Jet Hawker 850 XP aircraft. Adanis had to pay around Rs 15 crore to get the aircraft released.
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