The Moscow-based Textile Business Alliance, a grouping of Indian textile traders, has sought the Indian Embassy's intervention amid alleged harassment by the Russian inspection teams, who have sealed the premises of its 30 members for last 10 days.
Textile Business Alliance (TBA) President Mahesh Singh told PTI that all the 30 premises are in a complex in North Moscow. The authorities had come with armed guards to check the textile fabrics for sanitation purposes.
"The textile samples were collected and sent for some tests, but till now none of the test results have been declared. When we showed them the required sanitary certificates they refused to acknowledge them," Singh said.
He alleged that officers have been harassing the businessmen to the extent that it looks more of a police interrogation.
These interrogations have been going on throughout the night till early hours of morning and thereafter the person being interrogated is made to sign some documents which are not true, he alleged.
"Even as the Indian traders are willing to cooperate, the inspectors are breaking the locks of premises whenever they like. Thereafter they start loading the goods (textile fabrics) in their trucks and are confiscating them," the TBA President alleged.
Talking on the condition of anonymity, some traders alleged that unknown middlemen were approaching them with the offer to end the inspection raid by paying some money.
"We have taken up the matter with the concerned authorities and have demanded that all the inspections should be carried out strictly in accordance with the law in transparent manner," a senior Indian diplomat told PTI.
The diplomat said that the inspection raid is being carried out by a joint team of the Customs and two other agencies.