• The Federal
    Prawin Ganeshan
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    Prawin Ganeshan, founder of Wintrack Inc, also levelled serious allegations, naming specific officials, claiming that the officers received a bribe to clear his wife's company shipment. Photo: X/@PrawinGaneshan

    Wintrack shuts India ops over Chennai Customs' 'harassment'; govt agency rebuts claim

    The logistics firm brought allegations of 'relentless harassment' and retaliation after exposing 'bribery' twice this year

    The Federal
    2 Oct 2025 5:24 PM IST  (Updated:2025-10-02 12:00:35)

    Tamil Nadu-based logistics firm Wintrack Inc on Wednesday (October 1) announced on X that it would cease its import-export operations in India starting the same day, citing “relentless harassment” by Chennai Customs over the last month and a half.

    In a pinned post, the company accused the customs officials, saying "after exposing their bribery practices twice this year, they retaliated, effectively crippling" Wintrack's operations and destroying its business in the country.

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    Chennai Customs denied the allegations and issued a detailed rebuttal. Responding to the charges brought by Wintrack and its founder Prawin Ganeshan on X, it said, "This importer has an established pattern of making unsubstantiated allegations of corruption and bribery... only to delete such posts once factual rebuttals are provided by this department."

    Ganeshan was also seen speaking on the matter on X, alleging how his company was made to pay big amounts in bribes.

    Also Read: 'Fight' for dead DRI officer's reputation, arrested by CBI despite saying no to bribe

    'Relentlessly harassed us'

    In its post on X, Wintrack said, "From October 1, 2025, our company will cease import/export activities in India.

    "For the past 45 days, Chennai Customs officials have relentlessly harassed us.

    "After exposing their bribery practices twice this year, they retaliated, effectively crippling our operations and destroying our business in India.

    "We deeply thank everyone who has supported us during these difficult times."

    It was reposted by Ganeshan.

    Founder names officials

    In his allegations, Ganeshan named specific officials, claiming that they received a bribe to clear his wife's company shipment. According to him, they even offered a 10 per cent "discount" during negotiations.

    In another post, he spoke about the shipment of a massager saying the "Customs raised an issue for the first time this year, questioning why charging cables were not declared separately".

    "How can a factory sell a massager without a charging cable? The charging cable is included as part of the new product kit; every new product requires a charging cable to function," he said.

    "Charging cables are not sold separately and are always listed in the packing list. EPR and LMPC compliances were manually requested for the first time, causing delays and demurrages. The law has loopholes, and officers exploit them at their discretion," Ganeshan further alleged.

    He also reposted a remark that said, "Chennai port is notorious where they clear undervalue goods at dirt cheap prices in wrong HSN codes But when you want to do straight business then they will open pandora of rule boxes from this certificate to that"

    Also Read: CBI arrests IRS officer in bribery case

    Tharoor reacts

    The announcement drew strong reactions. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called the situation "truly dismaying," saying on X that corruption remained rampant.

    "Most companies simply comply as part of the "price of doing business"," he said.

    "It doesn’t have to be this way. Indeed it must not be like this if the country is to grow and prosper," Tharoor added.

    Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital and former CFO of Infosys, tagged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, saying, "You have failed to stamp out systemic corruption in our ports. Please stop this." He also tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused the government of failing to stop "TAX TERRORISM".

    Also Read: CBI nabs three Puducherry PWD engineers in bribery case; Rs 73 lakhs seized

    Chennai Customs responds

    Denying Wintrack’s post, Chennai Customs said, "The allegations of harassment and non-cooperation are demonstrably false... At no stage was any payment or bribe demanded — all queries pertained strictly to mandatory statutory compliance under Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, BIS Act 2016, Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011, and Customs Act 1962."

    "This selective narrative is a deliberate tactic to pressure officials into releasing cargo without following due process," Chennai Customs said.

    Saying it would not be deterred by false allegations from performing its statutory duties, the Customs added, "We remain committed to lawful, transparent, and professional conduct while enforcing regulations designed to protect public health, consumer safety, and environmental standards."

    What CBIC said

    The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in a post on X, clarified that the issue "pertains to misdeclaration and misclassification by the importer" and that "all facts will be duly examined" and necessary action will follow.

    "Chennai Customs has already responded on this aspect. Subsequently, the importer has shared certain names and screenshots on Twitter. The matter has been noted, and all facts will be duly examined. Necessary action, as warranted under the law, will be taken, it assured," it said.

    Chennaicustoms officialsbribery allegationsLogistics
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