Daijiworld Media Network
With Inputs from Media Release 

New Delhi, Aug 14: Considering the current trend in smuggling of gold and so also narcotic drugs and other items, the central government through a recent order revised the existing guidelines towards payment of rewards to informers who provide information leading to the seizures of gold/silver or any other items which are prone to be smuggled into the country as also in trafficking of narcotics drugs.

As per the revised guidelines, the reward to informers who provide information on smuggling of gold has been increased three times to a sum of Rs 1,50,000 per kg, and those who provide information on smuggling of silver will be rewarded Rs 3,000 per kg. The reward shall be sanctioned based on purity of the gold/silver as the case may be, a release from the government states.

After due consideration the central government has also increased the rates of reward to the informers who provide information on narcotic drug trafficking and seizures of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances. As per the new guidelines the current reward to the informers would be upto 20% of the present illicit price. As per the new rules informers who provide information leading to the seizures of:

i) Opium would get upto Rs 6,000 per kg
ii) Morphine base and its salts : Rs 20,000 per kg
iii) Heroin and its salts : Rs 1,20,000 per kg
iv) Cocaine and its salts : Rs 2,40,000 per kg
v) Hashish : Rs.2,000 per kg
vi) Hashish oil : Rs 10,000 per kg
vii) Ganja : Rs 600 per kg

Similarly rates of reward in respect of controlled / psychotropic substances etc seized under NDPS Act 1985 have also been increased considerably.

In respect of the cases booked based on information provided, informers in respect of the other goods viz electronic goods and any other items, the reward would be paid upto 20% of the net sales proceeds of the contraband goods.

Another worthwhile decision taken by the government is to pay 50% of the eligible to the informers immediately after the gold cases booked by the department.

The revision of the reward takes into account major gold cases made and cases of duty evasion detected by various agencies throughout the country in the recent past. The new reward rule comes into force with immediate effect taking view of the changing scenario of smuggling of various items, evasion of duties and service tax.

The new guidelines issued by the government of India is applicable for grant of rewards to the informers in respect of cases of seizures made and/or evasion of duty/service tax etc. detected under the provisions of the Customs Act 1962/Central Excise Act 1944, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 as also Finance Act 1994 (amended to the extent of the said Act contains provisions relating to Service Tax).

Reward is granted to informers who provide information leading to the seizures of gold/silver/electronic items etc which is being smuggled into the country through airports/sea ports/baggage etc. Similarly, suitable reward is also paid to informers who provide information leading to the detection of evasion of customs/central excise duties/service tax etc. Further, as per the recent order, government has also considered rewarding suitably informers who provide information on trafficking of narcotics drugs.

The informers who wish to give information on cases of smuggling, customs duty evasion like commercial fraud, mis-use of benefit Notifications etc. and also cases like Narcotic Drug Trafficking can contact the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Mangalore (Tel. No.0824-2211120) during office hours. They may also contact Customs Department, Mangalore for providing the information on said cases. As regards the Central Excise evasion and service tax evasion they may contact the Central Excise Department/Directorate General of Anti Evasion. The names of the informers would be kept by these departments top secret.