A Chennai-based importer’s tweet exposing a 7-lakh-rupee bribe demand by customs officials has sparked widespread outrage online. Prawin Ganeshan took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his ordeal, revealing how his shipment from China was stuck for over 72 hours due to a demand for bribes allegedly facilitated by an agent named Sridhar.
“Appraisal officer demands 7 L bribe for my shipment thru his bribe collection agent Sridhar, CHA @ Chennai. Faceless assessment, yet they have agents to demand bribe like this from importers,” Ganeshan wrote, tagging Chennai Customs, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Ganeshan detailed that this was his first time importing products from China. He claimed that after a query regarding his last three Bills of Entry (BOE) for similar commodities, the customs house agent demanded a bribe worth two to three times the shipment’s value, citing the Scheme for Import of Goods (SiiB) as a reason.
Chennai Customs responded, asking Ganeshan to provide the details of his consignment for further investigation. Ganeshan later confirmed that he shared the Bill of Entry number and added, “I have audio recordings of CHA and the appraising officer’s agent demanding a ruthless 7 lakhs for clearing the bill.”
In a separate post he even shared a video with the audio recording with the customs officer. He wrote, ‘I am not making baseless allegation without proof,this person sridhar well known in customs circle as agent to collect bribe on behalf of officer sitting in delhi,the officer wants to deal only through him and no lesser offer than 7 Lakhs for my shipment.’
The post has gone viral, amassing over 3.4 lakh views and 45,000 likes, with several users sharing their experiences of corruption in customs procedures.
One user commented, “Kudos to you for naming and shaming them. Many businesses include such bribes as ‘facilitation fees’ and rarely speak out.” Another wrote, “Even with frequent transfers, the rot continues. Officers claim higher-ups demand these bribes.”
Others recounted similar incidents, with one user stating they had to pay 5,000 rupees instead of 500 to activate their ICEGATE ID, while another reported paying bribes to clear chemicals for export despite presenting proper documents.