The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Thoothukudi has successfully arrested four individuals implicated in the illegal importation of Chinese firecrackers, valued at an estimated ₹5 crore. These restricted goods were smuggled into the country from China’s Ningbo port.
Official sources confirmed that DRI officials initiated an inspection at a Thoothukudi container freight station on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, where they first uncovered ₹2.5 crore worth of Chinese firecrackers hidden within a container. The following day, Wednesday, October 15, 2025, a subsequent operation led to another seizure of similar goods, also valued at ₹2.5 crore, bringing the total confiscated contraband to ₹5 crore. The illicit firecrackers were cunningly concealed, declared falsely as engineering tools and carts to bypass customs.
Further investigations by the DRI team culminated in the arrest of four key individuals on Friday, October 17, 2025. These suspects had been attempting to retrieve the smuggled consignment while hiding in Thoothukudi. The arrested individuals were identified as J. Michael Jacob (36), a Mumbai resident originally from Thoothukudi who had established a local business to acquire import and export codes; J. Soosai Manikkam (43) of Thoothukudi; Vikas Dubey (53); and M. Dhasharath Kokhre (43) of Mumbai.
Following their arrest, the accused were presented before a Judicial Magistrate in Thoothukudi on the same day. They have since been remanded to judicial custody at the Central Prison in Palayamkottai. The entire seized consignment has been handed over to the Thoothukudi Customs Department for further proceedings.