The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested a businessman on Friday for failing to declare goods worth Rs 6.18 crore to Custom authorities.

Mukesh Saxena, proprieter of Balaji International Agencies, was nabbed at his residence and produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Usha Iyer. His partner, Sanjay Arora, is still at large.The remand application filed in April 1999 at the metropolitan magistrate's court says the DRI identified import consignments which arrived from Singapore at the Mumbai port and were said to be garment accessories and shoulder pads. They were to be sent to Delhi based importers.

The consignments were found to contain computers, modems, hard discs and integrated circuits valued at Rs 1.67 crore, none of which had been declared in the Import General Manifesto and Bill of Loading.

In April, four similar consignments en route to the same importers were seized. These contained watch movements, integrated circuits and shoulderpads worth Rs 3.83 crore. In May, Chinese fabric valued at Rs 65.78 lakh was also seized. Saxena and Arora had provided a fictitious address. Saxena has been remanded to custody till August 20.

Diploma course in aesthetics

The Department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai, is starting a post graduate diploma in Indian aesthetics. The one-year course will deal with the study and research of the history of visionary ideas. The course, supported by visual material, deals with 5,000 years of visual art history, starting with the Indus Valley Civilisation to the contemporary art trends. Contact Dr Rashmi Poddar, Director, Indian Aesthetics on 4927447.