Kathmandu-Despite receiving import approval as ‘petrol’ and being cleared by customs as ‘petrol’ the vehicle was registered as ‘diesel’. Birgunj Customs Office, which cleared the vehicle, later claimed the fuel type was diesel, not petrol.

Kaeros International has been importing cars of the British brand Jaguar Land Rover through questionable channels. Instead of sourcing from the manufacturer or its authorised distributor, the company procured vehicles via a Hong Kong based firm using forged documents. On that basis, the Department of Commerce granted agency approval, and customs cleared the vehicles.

A key question arises. Did Kaeros misdeclare the fuel type, or did Birgunj Customs alter it to protect the importer.

The pattern suggests possible collusion. Companies that follow due process face delays. Kaeros cleared vehicles despite discrepancies in documents and fuel declarations.

Multiple Land Rover units imported by Kaeros show fuel type inconsistencies. The company sought import approval from the Department of Transport Management as petrol hybrid. Approval was granted. The same documents were submitted to Birgunj Customs, which cleared a Land Rover Defender as petrol hybrid.

Later, without informing the approving authority, Birgunj Customs wrote to the Transport Office in Ekantakuna stating the Defender was diesel. The letter dated Magh 11, 2082, said customs records and importer documents indicated “mild hybrid or diesel”, despite the original declaration as mild hybrid.

Customs has no authority to alter fuel type without notifying the Department of Transport Management. Sending a direct correction to the Transport Office is a serious procedural breach.

If doubts existed, customs should have halted clearance and sought clarification. Instead, it cleared the vehicle and later revised the fuel type. The basis for changing a petrol cleared vehicle into diesel remains unexplained.

Similar discrepancies appear in around half a dozen vehicles imported by Kaeros. Weak scrutiny has enabled irregular practices.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is investigating the case. The Department of Customs has also launched a probe and summoned several Birgunj Customs officials to Kathmandu.

The investigation focuses on three issues:

• Whether the vehicles are genuinely hybrid
• Whether the engines are diesel or petrol
• Whether under invoicing occurred

Transport Office records in Ekantakuna show a 2025 Land Rover Defender with a 2,996 cc engine as a diesel hybrid. Yet import approval and customs clearance both described it as petrol hybrid.

The Defender 3.0 imported by Kaeros appears to be an older model. It was declared as plug in hybrid, though Land Rover has discontinued plug in hybrids above 2.0 litre engines. This raises further doubts.

The anti corruption body is probing 17 vehicles imported by Kaeros. Initial findings show some vehicles declared as hybrid are not hybrid, and some declared as petrol are diesel. If confirmed, the importer faces millions in additional taxes.

Kaeros secured permission to import Range Rover Sport and Defender models. However, it is unclear how a company not recognised by the manufacturer became an authorised distributor in Nepal.

Kaeros sourced vehicles through South China Exim Limited, a Hong Kong registered firm originally linked to Rakesh Adukiya. The company is neither an authorised dealer of Jaguar Land Rover nor permitted to export to third countries. This aspect is also under investigation.