Written by Arun JanardhananChennai | October 12, 2025 11:54 AM IST 4 min readThe development comes two weeks after Wintrack Inc. announced it was shutting down its India operations, citing “relentless harassment” by Chennai Customs after it refused to pay bribes. (Source: Twitter)The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said on Saturday evening that it has initiated a full-fledged vigilance investigation into allegations of corruption and harassment against officials at Chennai Customs, following the public accusations by Wintrack Inc., an importer of personal massagers that recently announced its exit from India.In a detailed statement posted on X, the CBIC confirmed that it had “received the factual enquiry report from the Department of Revenue (DoR), which was mandated to undertake a fair, transparent and fact-based enquiry into the allegations made by M/s Wintrack Inc. regarding alleged irregularities in Chennai Customs.”The CBIC statement marks an unusually detailed public acknowledgement of irregularities, pledging a time-bound investigation. “Based on the prima facie findings,” the CBIC said, “a thorough vigilance investigation is being initiated, which is proposed to be completed in a time frame of 4–6 weeks.” To ensure that the probe remains “credible, free and fair,” the board said that the officers identified in the report have been relieved of their current responsibilities “with immediate effect and posted out of the jurisdiction.”The CBIC statement added that the enquiry report indicated “the possibility of cheating and private fraud by the importer’s own agents and intermediaries.” As a result, “the license of the Customs Broker Agent named in the report has been suspended under regulation 16 of the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations, 2018, pending the final outcome of the vigilance investigation.”A police complaint has also been lodged “against the unauthorised intermediaries.”The CBIC said it would constitute a Task Force under the Member (Customs) to recommend and oversee further corrective operational measures. These include a “comprehensive review of all pending cases to ensure consistent, transparent and legally correct application of regulations, with particular attention to MSMEs and small-scale importers… ensuring that there is no scope for misuse of authority or retribution against complainants, with close monitoring of such cases for fair and expeditious disposal as per law.”The CBIC also highlighted the implementation of complete anonymity in faceless assessment by masking additional details and issuing appropriate instructions to all officers, strictly enforcing access to Customs locations to only authorised CHAs (Custom House Agents), strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms through parameterised monitoring and regular review with field formations, and public disclosure of updates on action taken through relevant customs portals.Story continues below this ad“These measures underscore the Government’s commitment to ensuring integrity in Customs administration, strengthening systemic processes, and facilitating seamless trade and commerce,” the statement said.The development comes two weeks after Wintrack Inc. announced it was shutting down its India operations, citing “relentless harassment” by Chennai Customs after it refused to pay bribes. Wintrack’s founder, Prawin Ganeshan, alleged that customs officers had targeted his company for exposing bribery within the department. “Deputy Commissioner and his associates from Chennai Customs openly threatened us,” he claimed in a tweet. “I prefer to fight intellectually with good people than these corrupt officers.”Ganeshan claimed the dispute began over a shipment of personal massagers, which customs authorities said had been misclassified and improperly declared. The massagers, containing rechargeable batteries, also required environmental and labelling clearances — EPR and LMPC certifications — which the company allegedly failed to produce.Chennai Customs denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the importer was attempting to “intimidate senior officers through threats of media exposure and self-harm,” and that its actions were “legally mandated and procedurally proper.”Story continues below this adThe public spat quickly escalated into a national debate on corruption in India’s trade bureaucracy. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the episode “truly dismaying,” adding, “corruption remains rampant across the system and most companies simply comply as part of the ‘price of doing business’.”Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Custom officials