CBI files 2 charge sheets in car import scam

CBI has filed two charge sheets against Hyderabad-based businessman Alex Joseph in connection with its probe into car import scam in which high-end cars were sold to politicians and businessmen allegedly by evading customs duty.
52-year-old Joseph was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi in February this year after he evaded arrest for 11 months following a CBI raid on his house in Chennai.
He is alleged to have colluded with officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in importing luxury vehicles by evading customs duty and sold them to some big businessmen and politicians including DMK leader M K Stalin and BCCI chief N Srinivasan.

Joseph has been named in both the charge sheets in which CBI has pressed charges ranging from cheating, fraud, forgery and presenting forged documents as genuine.
Besides Joseph, the first charge sheet names Vijayadevan Bhaskaran, John Bosco, Joseph Daniel K, K Pongiannan, Shanmughasundaram, V. Ramanathan, M. Ravindran, V.R. Venkatachalam and K.Vijendra Samuel and two companies.
The other charge sheet names Jospeh along with Ismail K.P, Joseph Daniel K, K.Pongiannan, D Sukumar, V. Ramanathan, M.Ravindran, V.R. Venkatachalam and one company.

During 11-month investigation, CBI seized 33 luxury cars like Rolls Royce, Range Rover, Land Cruiser Prado, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Hummer which were imported for several years under the Transfer of Residence Rules of the Customs Act.

Joseph allegedly placed orders for cars from abroad and later hired Indian working class nationals being repatriated to India on cancellation of work permits, CBI sources said.
These cars would then be sent to India through Chennai, Mumbai and Cochin ports in the names of these workers.
In this connection, CBI had conducted raids in 18 places including the residence of Stalin.
Several cases have been registered against Joseph at various places in India by Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax, Customs, DRI and Kerala police. However, Joseph managed to escape from India and fled to the UAE.
He had been absconding from the date of registration of the FIR in the present case in March last year.