Wintrack exits India levelling bribery charges against Chennai Customs; agency claims goods 'misdeclared'

CHENNAI: Logistics firm Wintrack Inc announced on Wednesday that it has ceased its import-export operations in India citing harassment and corruption by Chennai Customs. The firm imports massagers and sex toys from China to India. In response to the allegation by the firm, Chennai Customs on their X handle denied the allegations and stated that the cargo was detained due to misdeclaration and lack of sufficient documentation. Wintrack Inc founder Prawin Ganeshan took to his X handle on Wednesday night, alleging that Customs officials had been harassing us for 45 days. The company claimed to have evidence that they were being singled out as Ganeshan had exposed bribery practices of the agency last year. From October 1, 2025, our company will cease import/export activities in India. For the past 45 days, Chennai Customs officials have relentlessly harassed us. After exposing their bribery practices twice this year, they retaliated, effectively crippling our operations and pic.twitter.com/PmGib8srmM WINTRACK INC (@wintrackinc) October 1, 2025 The company also said they were stopping all import and export operations in India. Responding to these posts, Chennai Customs on their official handle said that this importer had an established 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. According to them, the firm had misclassified the goods which they said were accepted on September 1. Physical examination revealed eight boxes containing USB charging cables that were completely undeclared in the Bill of Entry, commercial invoice, and packing list - a clear violation of Section 111 of the Customs Act, 1962. The imported goods contain built-in rechargeable batteries, making EPR registration from the Central Pollution Control Board mandatory under Rule 13 of Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022. Despite repeated queries on August 29, during personal hearing on September 8 and 29, no EPR certificate was provided. Instead, the importer submitted wrong documentation (E-waste undertaking) and made legally untenable claims of MSME exemption, finished product exemption, and low battery capacity exemption - none of which exist under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022. Chennai Customs said. Customs also denied the charges of bribes demanded by their officers. The exchanges have triggered massive discussions on X with celebrities like Mohandas Pai tagging Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Many persons have alleged similar treatment by Air Customs while importing goods or even returning from foreign countries.