Watch cost Rs 1.5 crore not Rs 5 crore: Hardik Pandya speaks out on Customs row

Indian cricketer
Hardik Pandya landed in a soup right after he returned from Dubai after India’s
disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Sections of the media claimed that the
28-year-old all-rounder was in a fix with the Mumbai customs department over
payment of duties on things he had bought from Dubai. According to an ANI
report, two watches were seized by the Customs Department on Sunday because
Pandya did not have bills for the same.  

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The report quoted
Mumbai Customs Department say: “Mumbai customs officials seize two luxury
watches worth Rs 5 crore from Hardik Pandya at airport”

Squarely denying
all allegations, Hardik Pandya provided his side of the story on Twitter. “I
voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought
by me and pay the requisite customs duty. Wrong perceptions have been floating
around on social media regarding my declaration to customs at Mumbai airport,
and I would like to clarify about what transpired,” said the cricketer.

According to
Hardik Pandya, he had declared all items that he had purchased from Dubai and
was ready to pay “whatever duties that needed to be paid”. “As a matter of
fact, the customs department had asked for all purchase documents which were
submitted: however, Customs is doing proper valuation for duty which I’ve
already confirmed to pay.”

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Pandya further
said that the cost of the watch in question is approximately Rs 1.5 crore and
denied media reports that the watch cost Rs 5 crore. The cricketer said that the
Mumbai Customs department has been cooperative and he too has cooperated with
law enforcement agencies. “All allegations against me of crossing any legal
boundaries are totally unfounded,” Pandya added.   

Hardik Pandya’s
brother Krunal Pandya, who has also played for the Indian cricket team, was intercepted
at the Mumbai International Airport last year over suspicion of being in possession
of undisclosed gold and other valuables, the ANI report stated.