Customs Seize Pakistan-bound Chemicals from China at Tamil Nadu Port

Security officials at Kattupalli Port in Tamil Nadu have intercepted a shipment from China containing chemicals used for tear gas, destined for Pakistan. The consignment, weighing 2560 kg, included Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, a material listed under India’s export control list and internationally banned for its offensive use.

Security agencies have once again intercepted a Pakistan-bound consignment from China, containing internationally banned chemicals used in tear gas and riot control, at a port in Tamil Nadu, officials reported on Thursday.

Authorities allege that Pakistan, with support from China, is bolstering an offensive chemical and biological warfare initiative. The shipment, dispatched by China's Chengdu Shichen Trading Co. Ltd, included Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile, bound for Rawalpindi's Rohail Enterprises.

Weighing approximately 2560 kg, the consignment was packed in 103 drums and loaded onto the vessel 'Hyundai Shanghai' in Shanghai on April 18, 2024, heading towards Karachi but intercepted at Kattupalli Port on May 8, 2024.

Upon routine inspection, customs detained the shipment as the substance is listed under India’s export control list 'SCOMET'. Expert analysis confirmed it as Ortho-Chloro Benzylidene Malononitrile (CS), regulated under the Wassenaar Arrangement. India is a signatory to the agreement; however, China and Pakistan are not.

The consignment has been seized under India’s Customs Act, 1962, and the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005. A similar interception occurred in March at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port, involving a vessel linked to Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.