Indian nabbed, watches seized

Assorted watches and lingerie amounting to close to a million pesos were seized from a 30-year-old Indian national at Pier 6 in Cebu City.

Investigation will be made to find out if the items seized from Sanjay Karla were genuine or not, said Rolando Punzalan, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7).

Punzalan said it’s up to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to determine if Karla violated the Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

Punzalan said Karla had eight traveling bags when he disembarked from a vessel that came from Cagayan de Oro City at 7:30 a.m. yesterday.

Coast Guard personnel became suspicious because of the number of bags and inspected the contents.

The PCG-7 seized the items after Karla failed to present a local purchase receipt.

“These items should have documents, receipts kung saan binili among others,” said Punzalan.

Karla said he didn’t have local purchase receipts of the items since it was supplied to him on a consignment basis.

Karla, who is engaged in a buy-and-sell business, said he consigned the watches from Bumbee, a Manila-based factory. He said he had been living in Cebu for more than 10 years and has been running his business for less than a year.

Karla said the items were worth P800,000.  But in an inventory conducted by PCG-7, the seized items were worth P937,025, said Punzalan.

The seized items included 3,229 watches and 2,000 watch batteries.

Joel Noel Torrecampo of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) said Karla has to pay customs duties and taxes if he fails to present a local purchase receipt.

Karla was detained at Coast Guard’s office. The seized items will be turned over to the BOC. /CORRESPONDENTS RHEA RUTH V. ROSELL AND CHITO O. ARAGON AND UP MASsCOM INTERN PETER I. ROMANILLOS