Baretto: “Harassed.” A Telegraph picture

Commissioner of customs (airport) Gautam Ray, who was in the news following Mohun Bagan’s footballer Jose Ramirez Baretto’s arrest, has been transferred.

Officials claimed the transfer was routine, but insiders linked it with a complaint lodged by Mohun Bagan officials against Ray for the “harassment” faced by Baretto.

The Brazilian was arrested at the airport on March 20 — he was scheduled to catch a flight for Sao Paolo — on the charge of carrying “unauthorised” foreign exchange.

“Baretto’s harassment reminds one of the excesses during the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (Fera) regime. The transfer was necessary to send a strong signal to all officials who tend to misuse power,” said a senior bureaucrat.

But a customs official pointed out that 73 commissioners across the country have been transferred in this phase. “Ray’s transfer was long overdue. A commissioner usually stays in a post for two years but Ray has served as commissioner of customs (airport) for 32 months.”

Ray will take over as commissioner in charge of the legal cell of customs and indirect taxes of central excise. “I have received the transfer order,” said Ray, refusing to comment any further.

Barreto, booked under the Customs Act and Foreign Exchange Management Act, got bail on the day of his arrest but the customs authorities seized his passport. The authorities refused to return the passport even after a court order, prompting Baretto to file a contempt petition in the high court on April 28.

Baretto’s counsel Joymalya Bagchi said his client had submitted the security bonds and bank guarantee, as directed by the court, but was not given back the passport.

“The commissioner sat on the passport, saying it could not be handed back to Baretto without a no-objection certificate from the income-tax department that had filed a case against the footballer,” Bagchi said.

On April 29, customs officials called Barreto and gave back his passport.

Mohun Bagan sources said club secretary Anjan Mitra had met Central Board of Excise and Customs chairman P.C. Jha in Delhi and complained against Ray. Mitra was unavailable for comment.