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KHULNA, Feb 26: A syndicate of dishonest importers is doing a brisk business of abandoned Indian motor vehicles in the south western region of the country and thus causing a huge loss to the government, sources said.
These businessmen are becoming millionaires by importing chassises and engines of abandoned buses, minibuses and trucks as scarps through Benapole landport and other points of the border.
Bodies of such vehicles are made at local workshops and then brought to Dhaka as new ones through different routes.
Fifty-one per cent import duty is paid for such knocked down vehicles locally known as 'Kata Gari'.
Besides, Tk 26,000 for a 31-seat bus and Tk 11,000 for a 26-seat bus are paid as registration fees.
Chassises are imported at a cost of Tk 50,000 to Tk 90,000 each. Then a vehicle is sold at Tk 300,000 to Tk 400,000 only after obtaining documents from BRTA officials by bribing them while the price of a new bus is Tk 900,000 to Tk 1.1 million.
In this way these people are depriving the government of huge amounts of revenue importing such vehicles under false declaration.
Frequent accidents also occur in south-western parts of the country due to mechanical faulty of such vehicles, according to sources.
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