Risque business: Sex toys worth Rs 79 lakh seized at Chennai port

Customs officials zeroed in on the port after receiving inputs regarding such items being smuggled to India and being sold in the grey market through the internet. The Customs Department said that the sex toys were imported by city-based Mahi Enterprises and Legend Resources Group after declaring the goods as wall clocks, baby chair, yoga mat and decorative show pieces. 

“On examination of both the consignments it was found that around 6,452 such adult toys of various types valued at Rs 79 lakh was concealed in other declared items. Since the imported adult toys fall under the category of pornography figures/ articles which are prohibited for import, they were seized under the provisions of Customs Act,” an official said. 

Earlier, majority of these parcels were ordered online or via postal service that would land in the postal appraising department of the airport customs in Chennai from places like London, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. The demand for such toys has been going up and a source said that between 2016-17, the Customs Department had seized 342 parcels at the airport. The number was 238 between 2015-16 and between 2014-15, the number was only 169. Earlier, Customs officials would warn people ordering such items with a Rs 5,000 fine scare. 

According to officials, the import of sex toys is illegal as it has been held that ‘any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation, figure or article’ is prohibited for import. In the past, officials found that most sex toys imported by the people of Tamil Nadu are for women. 

“We found that middle-aged men and women from well-to-do families order the import of sex toys. At least half of them use the address of their drivers and servants to receive such orders,” the official had noted. The toys, made of soft rubber are priced between Rs 300 and Rs 15,000. Some are battery powered. The official also said that regular use of such items might cause nervous disorder and depression.