Central agencies including customs seized banned chemicals at Thiruvottiyur
Security agencies have seized a Chinese shipment of internationally banned chemicals, apparently intended for Pakistan’s biological and chemical warfare program, at a port in Tamil Nadu, officials said on Thursday.
The consignment of Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, also known as CS is used as a tear gas and riot control agent, was intercepted by Customs authorities at Kattupalli Port in Tamil Nadu, they said.
CS is a dual-use chemical listed under international agreements and India’s export control list. While it has civilian applications as riot control agents, the sheer quantity seized raises concerns about its potential military use.
The 2560-kg shipment originated from the Chinese firm, Chengdu Shichen Trading Co Ltd, and was consigned to Rohail Enterprises, a Rawalpindi-based defence supplier in Pakistan.
Stored in 103 drums of 25 kgs each, the cargo was loaded on a vessel Hyundai Shanghai (sailing under Cyprus flag), on April 18, 2024, at Shanghai Port, China. The Karachi-bound vessel reached Kattupalli Port (Tamil Nadu) on May 08, 2024.
The Customs authorities after routine checking detained the consignment as the chemical figured under India’s export control list of Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (SCOMET) as a controlled substance, they said.