'Customs agents, their staff have pocketed money': Wintrack founder replies to CBIC on cheating charge

Hours after the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) announced a vigilance inquiry into bribery allegations at Chennai Customs, Wintrack Inc founder Prawin Ganeshan said he fully agreed with the report's findings. "I reiterate that the government is serious about implementing reforms in the Customs Department. This applies not only to @wintrackinc but also to entrepreneurs nationwide, enabling transparent, corruption-free import/export processes in the future," Ganeshan wrote on X.

He, however, responded to one of the findings pointing to alleged cheating and private fraud. The CBIC said the report also indicated the possibility of cheating and private fraud by the importer's own agents. To this, Ganeshan claimed: "CHA, their staff, and other impersonators who collected money for shipment clearance have pocketed the difference between payments received and those made to actual beneficiaries." 

The founder further said that he will lodge a criminal complaint against these private individuals for fraud and cheating in the name of Customs and their officials.

The CBIC on Saturday said it had received a factual enquiry report from the Department of Revenue (DoR), which was mandated to conduct a fair, transparent, and fact-based investigation into allegations by Wintrack Inc of irregularities at Chennai Customs. "The report also indicates the possibility of cheating and private fraud by the importer’s own agents and intermediaries," the CBIC said in a post on X. 

The licence 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.

Based on prima facie findings, CBIC said a thorough vigilance investigation is being initiated, expected to be completed within 4-6 weeks. To ensure credibility, officers identified in the report have been relieved of their responsibilities and posted out of their jurisdiction.

The CBIC is also constituting a task force under the Member (Customs) to implement 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. The task force will ensure 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," it said.

The task force will also look to implement complete anonymity in customs faceless assessments, mask additional details, issue instructions to all officers, and strictly enforce access to customs locations for only authorised CHAs (Customs House Agents). "These measures underscore the government's commitment to ensuring integrity in Customs administration, strengthening systemic processes, and facilitate seamless trade and commerce," the CBIC said.

Wintrack announced on October 1 that it was shutting down its business, alleging harassment and demands for bribes by Chennai Customs officials. Ganeshan had posted a video on X detailing the sequence of events since January 2025 that led to the decision.