The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Concern over antiques trafficking through port

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Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009
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Concern over antiques trafficking through port

P.Oppili and A. Srivathsan

Detection more difficult when they are sent in containers

— Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

TIMELY ACTION: C. Rajan, Commissioner of Customs (Exports), Seaport, with the antiques, which were seized in Chennai recently.

Chennai: Attempts to illicitly export or carry antiques through the Chennai port are happening at regular intervals, C. Rajan, Commissioner of Customs (Exports), Seaport, Chennai, has pointed out.

The modus operandi in most cases is to mix antiques with regular handicrafts items and through false declaration send them to antique dealers overseas.

A large consignment of 55 well-packed pieces of handicrafts, meant to be exported to Thailand, was detained on suspicion by the Chennai Sea Port customs recently. Among the list of items declared were eight numbers of ‘stone bases.’ That appeared unusual to the officer and the consignment was unpacked for inspection. Expert opinion of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was sought and the objects were declared antiques by the ASI. The Customs has confiscated the items and investigations are on.

In another case, a woman passenger travelling to Reunion Island, south-west of Mauritius, declared 10 large objects as part of her personal baggage and wanted to take it along with her. This included an intricately carved door, a wooden vahana or processional vehicle used in a temple, an old veena and a Krishna statue among other things. When these four artefacts were referred to the ASI, its Experts Advisory Committee for Export of Non-antiquities found the four objects to be antiquities and prevented the passenger from taking them along with her.

“Apart from keeping a close watch on the usual suspects, the customs intelligence’s regular tip-offs and periodic alerts from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence about missing antiquities helps,” explains Mr. Rajan

Detecting such illicit trafficking is more difficult when the artefacts are sent in containers. There is no container scanner as yet at the Chennai Seaport. Informed sources say that the customs would get a scanner in another six months.

“The confiscated objects are now in the customs godown and when the cases are completed, it would be sent to the Customs and Central Excise Museum in Goa,” says Mr. Rajan.

The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 ‘regulates the export trade in antiquities and art treasures’ and prevents smuggling and fraudulent dealings in antiquities. The Act defines artefacts of historical interest in existence for more than 100 years and manuscripts and documents more than 75 years as antiquities.

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