Indian officials found that the consignment was shipped by Taiyuan Mining Import and Export Co Ltd in China and it was meant for a defence supplier in Pakistan.
Early this year, workers at the Shekou Port in southern China packed 22,180kg of cargo into containers and loaded it on the Malta-flagged merchant ship CMA CGM Attila scheduled to sail to Karachi. Despite the turbulent weather and the choppy waters, the voyage continued untroubled till January 23 when it crossed Mumbai’s Nhava Sheva Port.
In the last few years, Indian port authorities have been aggressively scanning the country’s 7,500km-long coastline across nine states. While the Navy is the lead intelligence agency for the high seas, the Coast Guard secures the territorial waters. And then there are multiple agencies like the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Customs to monitor maritime traffic.
The spies at sea were at work when Attila was nearing the Indian shores with its hefty consignment of computer numerical control (CNC) machinery, used in the manufacture of critical parts of aerospace and nuclear industry. They were keen to check the nature of the tightly-packed load. The captain was asked to furnish the paperwork. His documents showed Shanghai JXE Global Logistics Co Ltd as the consigner and Sialkot-based Pakistan Wings Pvt Ltd as the consignee. As per the website of Pakistan Wings, it is a leading sea and air freight consolidator and third party logistics provider.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
