'Donated my juicer, accepted defeat': Entrepreneur shares harassment by Indian Customs

Entrepreneur Karnvir Mundrey on Monday shared his experience of dealing with Indian Customs, which led him to "donate" his $100 juicer blender to the authorities after months of delays and frustration. In a post on X, Mundrey detailed the two-month-long battle to clear his FedEx shipment, which had been held up due to a simple typo in his name.

"After 2 months, hundreds of emails, calls, and messages, and even a Twitter campaign, I had finally accepted defeat," Mundrey wrote. "My FedEx package — a humble juicer blender worth $100 — would now live out its days in the capable hands of Indian Customs."

He explained that the package was delayed because the name on the shipping label was "Karan Singh" instead of "Karnvir Singh Mundrey." Despite sending affidavits, IDs, self-declarations, and even personal documents, Mundrey's efforts were unsuccessful in moving the process forward.

"So I took the high road. I hereby donated my juicer blender to the nation," Mundrey quipped, adding that the real loss wasn’t the blender but "the loss of faith."

Mundrey's story comes amidst a surge of similar accounts from individuals across India, many of whom have shared stories of arbitrary customs seizures and extortionate demands by officials. "If someone like me, who knows the ropes, can't get a $100 item cleared, imagine what small traders go through every day," Mundrey added.

Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Aarin Capital, on Saturday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to do some reforms to stop what many described as extortion by Customs. Pai has called for blanket exemptions for returning Indian citizens bringing household goods back into the country.

"Madame Sitharaman, please see the harassment and bribes that returning citizens have to pay," Pai wrote on X. "Please give them a blanket exemption to get all household goods they want without duty, provided it is more than 6 months old. Let there be a self-declaration, not allowing customs to extort money. We owe it to our citizens. Need some reforms."

Pai's call came after multiple social media users, including Rishabh Mukherjee, shared their accounts of customs-related harassment.

Mukherjee described his experience in 2021, when he returned to India after six years abroad. His five-year-old digital photo frame, valued at ₹3,000, was subject to a duty based on the most expensive version of the frame available in India. Without the receipt, customs officials demanded around ₹15,000 in duties.

"The final duty that they wanted to collect was ~15K. Shipping agent told me I could pay 50% in cash or pay the duty. I officially paid the duty. I thought of it as a donation to GoI, but no way I’d pay anything to anyone under the table," Mukherjee said.