New Delhi: Prawin Ganeshan, the founder of Wintrack Inc., went viral when he posted on X that his company was ceasing import and export operations in India. Unlike most posts that vaguely highlight the difficulty of doing business in India, Ganeshan specifically called out the culprit: Chennai Customs.
“If you frequently knock on higher officials’ doors, they also go deaf – because a cut of the bribes goes to them also,” Ganeshan told ThePrint. “More than investors and entrepreneurs, it’s the customs officials who earn the most money. Their bribes are humongous.”
This isn’t Ganeshan’s first spat with Chennai Customs. His ordeal goes back to January 2025, when he first started importing his goods exclusively through Chennai’s ports. Before this, he was importing through ports in Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi – but hadn’t faced the same level of extortion that he witnessed in Chennai.
“It was around Republic Day, when we imported 4,000 pieces of handcuffs from China,” he said, explaining that his brand sold sexual wellness products and had ordered the item in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. “When we submitted the bill to Chennai Customs, it went into faceless assessment.”
The idea behind faceless assessment was to prevent customs officers from directly approaching importers, thereby reducing the chance of bribery. But according to Ganeshan, officers have agents stationed at different ports who act as intermediaries. These agents are ultimately the ones who release goods from the warehouses to the importer.
Ganeshan alleged that a bribe three times the value of the goods was demanded. The agent told him that the officer wasn’t willing to reduce the amount by even one rupee. “I had to bear air freight and other costs. It didn’t make sense for me to pay the bribe. I recorded the call with the agent and put it on X, where it went viral,” he said.
Chennai Customs went into damage control mode. They asked him to change the HSN code of the product, which is used to categorise different items. After paying the import duty difference (since HSN codes changed), the goods were finally released.
Ganeshan deleted his X post, thinking that the issue was resolved. But Chennai Customs allegedly continued to hold off his shipments and demand bribes over the course of the next couple of months.
Enemy of customs
Through February, March, April and May, Ganeshan continued to import items – mostly body massagers from China. In May, he got three consecutive shipments, which were all allegedly held up by Chennai Customs.
“At the time, I was sick and admitted to the hospital,” he said, adding that he had to negotiate with officers while unwell. “Officers guessed the volume of my business and demanded money to clear them, saying that we would strike a long-term deal.”
Ganeshan claimed he had to pay money to two different departments within Chennai Customs to release his goods. A third department – which didn’t receive any money from him – demanded its share as well, according to Ganeshan. Only after threatening to post on social media were the goods released.
Over the next few months, Ganeshan tried different avenues to procure his goods, including ordering them under his wife’s company. In June, one of his clients’ goods was held by Chennai Customs because of their association with Ganeshan.
“The officer who didn’t get the bribe share from the third Chennai Customs division – which is where the goods are held in the airport before release – they held one of my other clients’ shipments and told them they needed to pay a bribe,” said Ganeshan, highlighting the back and forth he had to face as a business owner.
He took to X to complain, the second time he posted on social media after January. But this time, he didn’t delete the tweets after the issue was resolved. And according to him, Chennai Customs had placed a mark on his back.
“They were waiting for the right opportunity where I will be committing any mistakes that they can hold my cargo,” he said.
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Compliance loopholes
In August and September, Ganeshan’s shipments were again held up by Chennai Customs. He complained to the Joint Commissioner and Principal Commissioner, both of whom told him to follow all the compliance requirements.
“Compliances are loopholes to collect more bribes,” he said, adding that each day goods sit in warehouses, companies need to pay additional charges. “From February till August, we were importing the same product, which was cleared by the same officers. But now new compliances were being asked of us.”
The company’s body massagers come with USB cables. Ganeshan was asked to get a certificate from the Central Pollution Control Board for the battery and e-waste and was also asked to declare them separately. Till August, none of these were required of him.
“Since we reported to higher officials, the officer called my staff and said that I can write anything on X, but he is not bothered,” said Ganeshan. “He told my staff that he is not clearing any shipments and not only his department, but the whole Chennai Customs is against me.”
Ganeshan said he told the Joint Commissioner that if his goods aren’t released, he would commit suicide in front of the Chennai Customs house. “Their ultimate aim is that I will give up and go away,” he said.
After his tweet on X, other business owners came forward to share their own struggles with the Customs department.
“I have been in Customs clearance since 25 years now and I assure you whatever Wintrack has said is not even the tip of the iceberg,” wrote on user on X. Another user posted about bribes he had to pay in the form of phones for BIS certificates on numerous occasions.
Once again, Chennai Customs went into damage control. They put out a detailed tweet, calling out the ‘false allegations’ and responding to various points brought up by Wintrack.
“The importer’s social media posts reveal a calculated pattern: allegations of corruption when facing legitimate scrutiny, followed by deletion of his thread when facts of violation by importer are placed on record,” they wrote. “This selective narrative is a deliberate tactic to pressure officials into releasing cargo without following due process.”
But posts kept pouring in, calling out harassment by Chennai Customs officials and the ‘rotten system’ they operate. As the outcry against corrupt practices piled on, the Ministry of Finance stepped in, stating that ‘a fair, transparent and fact-based inquiry’ would be conducted.
“I have business in other countries. Even if I don’t get a single penny from my India business, I will get money from China, Thailand,” said Ganeshan, explaining his decision to take the government body head on. “And hopefully by highlighting this issue, some change will happen and help other entrepreneurs.”
(Edited by Ratan Priya)