'Chak De' fame Mir Ranjan Negi transferred in customs graft

Customs official and former Indian women's hockey coach, Mir Ranjan Negi, who inspired Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Chak De! India", was transferred along with his colleague from air cargo complex at Sahar airport here, in connection with a corruption case.
A letter has been sent to the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) recommending suspension of assistant commissioners Negi and V M Ganoo. Both the officials, attached to the air cargo complex, were recently transferred out of the complex on instructions of the Directorate of Vigilance for supervisory failure, an official said today.
According to sources, some officials, including Negi, came under scanner following a surprise check conducted by Central Intelligence Unit (CIU), which found that some importers were smuggling cellphones and accessories involving evasion of Rs 26 crore.

It was found that the imports were physically assessed and manually examined rather than being subjected to electronic facilitation mode, which indicated that the officials were aware of the items, they said.
Negi was in-charge of examination of goods.
An official said Directorate of Revenue Intelligence(DRI) was calculating the difference between the actual duty and the levy received.

"In case the department finds a huge difference in the duty, heavy fine and penalty may be imposed on the importers, followed by strict action against the officials, including their arrest," he said.
The ongoing crackdown against alleged corruption in the air cargo complex at Sahar was launched following the arrest of a deputy commissioner of Customs posted in Kolkata, officials said.

Negi was former goalkeeper of the India national field hockey team. "Chak De! India", a 2007 film that received critical acclaim, was based on Negi's real life story. He had faced humiliation after conceding seven goals against Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final. Although he was dropped from the team, 16 years later, he returned as the goalkeeping coach for the women's team that won the 1998 Asian Games gold at Bangkok.