The ED also disclosed that customs authorities in both the US and the UK are investigating certain transactions involving Sangani.THE PROMOTER of Mumbai-based jewellery exporter Kalanee Impex Pvt Ltd, Dharmesh Sangani, whose premises were searched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, was earlier intercepted by the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport with 7.412 kg of undeclared gold jewellery concealed on his person and in his wife’s handbag, according to a statutory order of a London tribunal that upheld the seizure.The fresh ED action has uncovered alleged undisclosed foreign companies, overseas bank accounts and suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).Sangani is also a film producer associated with actor and television host Shekhar Suman. He is the co-founder of Shekhar Suman Film Academy. Suman currently hosts a political talk show that is widely seen as critical of the Narendra Modi government.During Thursday’s searches, the ED said it found evidence of undisclosed foreign companies and bank accounts in Canada, the UAE and the US. The agency identified an undisclosed Canadian company, KGN Ventures Canada Inc., a Dubai-based firm, Hiramandi Events & Mgmt LLC, and a suspected US entity, GBM Ventures LLC, besides recovering foreign credit and debit cards and other documents relating to overseas assets. It also alleged that Sangani attempted to destroy digital evidence by throwing his mobile phone from the 13th floor of a building during the searches. The phone was later retrieved and seized.The ED also disclosed that customs authorities in both the US and the UK are investigating certain transactions involving Sangani. It said documents recovered during the searches related to the seizure by the US Customs and Border Protection of a jewellery consignment worth about $3.05 million in June 2025 on allegations involving smuggled merchandise and suspected counterfeit trademark goods. The agency said it is examining whether that consignment is linked to exports from Kalanee Impex.The reference to the UK case relates to an incident on September 4, 2016, when Sangani and his family arrived at Heathrow Airport from Dubai. According to a 2019 judgment of the UK’s First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber), customs officers found that the jewellery declared by Sangani weighed far less than the quantity he was actually carrying. The tribunal recorded that the total quantity seized was 7.412 kg after Border Force officers recovered additional jewellery from his wife’s handbag and from beneath his clothing.The tribunal noted that Sangani had initially told Border Force officers he had nothing more to declare beyond the jewellery covered by the customs paperwork. In a subsequent letter seeking restoration of the seized jewellery, he admitted that he had “made a mistake” in not declaring the full quantity of the gold jewellery, apologised and sought its return, citing the impact on his business. The UK authorities refused restoration, holding that there were no exceptional circumstances to justify returning the goods.Story continues below this adDismissing his appeal in May 2019, the tribunal held that the Border Force decision was reasonable and concluded that the under-declaration was not an innocent administrative error. It said Sangani intended to import part of the jewellery without declaring it and produced the remaining items only after it became apparent they would be discovered during inspection.The agency further alleged that export proceeds worth crores of rupees had not been realised despite the expiry of the period permitted under FEMA and RBI regulations, with no extension obtained from authorised dealer banks or the RBI. It also said investigators had found instances where export proceeds were received from third-party entities instead of the overseas buyers named in export documents, and are examining whether such remittances violated FEMA provisions.