KLANG: The Customs Department has stumbled upon a scam involving the import of luxury 4WD vehicles without the use of approved permits (APs), when its officers raided a potong kereta warehouse in Sungai Puloh, off Kapar, yesterday.
The department’s preventive unit seized 33 chassis, bodies, engines and other parts belonging to Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Land Rover vehicles.
Selangor Customs director Datuk Abdul Razak Yaacob said initial investigations found that the parts belonged to used 4WD vehicles bought from Japan whose parts were shipped here in different consignments to elude detection.
“We also found that they smuggled in the chassis, declaring them as engine components, as chassis parts need APs to be imported.”
He said the dismantled parts, marked according to the vehicles, were reassembled here after a buyer has been secured.
He said the reassembled vehicles were sold for as low as RM45,000.
The raid was held after the department received a tip-off that the warehouse had imported second-hand car chassis without proper documentation and APs.
Abdul Razak said they believe more people could be linked to the scam. He also said
the potong kereta outlet had been in operation importing car parts from Japan since last July.
“We don’t know how many of these vehicles have been reassembled and put on the road. We urge anyone who may have bought them from this potong kereta outlet to assist us in the investigation.”
A source told The Star that such vehicles could be put back on the road as second-hand ones using details and registration of condemned or totally wrecked automobiles.
In yesterday’s raid, Customs found parts worth RM1.5mil.
Two workers at the warehouse were also arrested.
The Star
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