The Centre on Thursday took cognisance of the import firm Wintrack‘s allegations against Chennai customs and said the case is being “dealt with utmost seriousness”. It said that the Department of Revenue (DoR), Ministry of Finance has been asked to undertake a fair, transparent, and fact-based inquiry into the present issue.

In a post on social media platform X, the Ministry of Finance said the government has taken note of the bribe and harassment allegations against Chennai customs department officials. The ministry said that a senior official from the DoR has been tasked to conduct a detailed probe into the matter.

“The Government has taken cognizance of the matter raised by M/s Wintrack Inc (Chennai). (@wintrackinc). The Department of Revenue (DoR) @FinMinIndia has been asked to undertake a fair, transparent, and fact-based inquiry into the present issue,” the X post read.

“A Senior Officer from DoR has been deputed to conduct a detailed factual enquiry, hearing the parties concerned, officials and thoroughly examining all relevant documentary evidence,” the ministry further said.

The ministry said the government has implemented a series of taxpayer-friendly initiatives such as the adoption of the Taxpayer Charter – like the introduction of faceless customs procedures, and the establishment of appellate bodies for dispute resolution — with the objective of enhancing transparency and promoting ease of doing business.

“The matter is being dealt with utmost seriousness, and the Government is committed to taking appropriate and expeditious action in accordance with the law. It is reiterated that the Government is committed to enhancing ease of doing business,” the ministry added.

Wintrack vs Chennai customs

Tamil Nadu-based firm Wintrack Inc. Company officials took to its official X account to shed light on how they had been “relentlessly harassed” for more than a month, while also announcing that it would be ceasing import and export activities in India from October 1 onwards. The company’s founder Prawin Ganeshan also accused officials of demanding bribes to release shipments.

On Monday night, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs took to its own official social media account to address the allegations at hand. Dismissing any claims about Chennai Customs’ corrupt handling of the issue, government authorities said, “It is clarified that the issue pertains to misdeclaration and misclassification by the importer.”

Amid the continuing blame-game, Chennai Customs also directly responded to the serious allegations, calling them “false.” Officials even went on to hit it out against Ganeshan and Wintrack Inc, in turn, accusing the importer of having a “pattern of making unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and bribery on this platform, only to delete such posts once factual rebuttals are provided by this department.”

Further stating the sequence of events, Ganeshan took to X and shared a video mentioning how things exactly happened.

“Sequence of Events Leading to Our Closure. I will stay alive,i will survive,never give up . On this Gandhi Jayanthi,Lets all join together to reduce, abolish corrupt hands. I have lost my health, got stress, still little left,” the caption read.