The customs detectives have seized a Rolls-Royce car worth Tk 27 crore, including import tariff, from a house in Dhaka on allegation of duty evasion and breaching customs rules.

On April 27, the 6,750cc vehicle was imported by Z&Z Intimates Ltd from UK-based Vertex Auto Ltd, according to a statement of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) released yesterday.

The price of the vehicle was shown as 200,000 US dollar or Tk 1.87 crore in the import document and after all taxes and duties the car would cost Tk 27 crore in Bangladesh.

Incepted in 2017, Z&Z Intimates is a concern of Ananta Group and it is engaged in production of lingerie, underwear and swimwear requirements, according to the company website.

Z&Z is owned by a Bangladesh-Hong Kong joint venture company situated inside Chattogram Export Processing Zone.

To get the duty benefits, an importer needs to get permission from Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

As an exporter, Z&Z Intimates had the opportunity to get a duty benefit of Tk 24 crore under the 170 Customs Procedure Code.

Bashir Ahmed, additional director general of CIID, said the duty of the imported car was not assessed although it was imported nearly 70 days ago.

The CIID later barred clearance of the vehicle from the port by locking the Bill of Entry, a legal document needed for importing goods from abroad, he said.

The CIID is now investigating the reasons behind the delay in duty assessment of the vehicle.

AKM Sultan Mahmud, deputy commissioner of the Chattogram office of the CIID, confirmed seizing the vehicle from Dhaka's Baridhara.

No product has the opportunity to leave the port or customs house without completing duty assessment, he said.

Chattogram Customs Commissioner Fakrul Alam told The Daily Star, said normally duty assessment of an item is done when it is sent to the EPZ from the port.

"Now we are investigating how the Rolls-Royce reached the house of the managing director of the exporter company without completing the assessment."

He said they have already sent letter to the NBR in this regard.

Further action will be taken after knowing opinion of the NBR, Alam said.

The officials of MI Trade Associates, the clearing and forwarding agent responsible for the release of the luxury car, declined to comment on the issue.

Despite repeated attempts, The Daily Star could not reach Sharif Zahir, managing director of Ananta Group, over phone.