Officials of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) on Saturday seized 262 illegally imported mobile phone sets including 121 iPhone, 125 HTC, 15 LG and one Apple Watch by conducting simultaneous drives in the city’s different areas and shopping malls including Bashundhara Shopping Complex and Jamuna Future Park.

CIID sources claimed that the seized costly mobile phone sets were brought into the country by dodging all duties and taxes, reports the UNB.

Based on secret information, a special team, comprising with customs intelligent, revenue officials, Rapid Action Battalion and Dhaka Metropolitan Police, started its anti-dodging drives from 11:00am on Saturday morning.

During the three-hour drive they detained nine people in connection with making fake high-end mobile phone sets.

Apart from the shopping malls, the team conducted a drive to a house at Mohakhali DHOS and seized machineries and illegal parts for making fake iphone sets.

Of the nine people, seven were detained from Mohakhali and two from Uttara on charge of making or selling of illegal or fake mobile phone sets.

After the drive, Director General (DG) of the CIID Dr Md Shahidul Islam said the government has been losing huge amount of duty due to selling of these unauthorised mobile sets, mostly entered the country through personal baggage. These illegal imported phone sets are not recorded in BTRC files, he said.

‘We will show zero tolerance to check selling of illegal mobile phone sets. We are committed to bring the syndicate of illegal mobile phone sellers and makers under legal action,’ he added.

The CIID DG said the government will not allow selling any unauthorized illegal mobile phone set in Bangladesh market. ‘Our drive will be continuing regularly in the coming days,’ he added.