by Bertha Fernandes
Pune, Feb 3: Claudius Anthony Fernandes, Air Customs Superintendent, Pune Airport has been awarded an Appreciation Certificate for specially distinguished record of service by the President of India on Republic Day 2008.
This award has been conferred on him for display of exceptional commitment, maintaining excellence and devotion in discharge of his duties, clean service record while achieving the goals set for his organization.
He is involved in imparting training to various Drug Enforcement Agencies including Crime Branch Units in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra; Police Academy, Nashik; Anti Narcotics Cell of Madhya Pradesh Police in Indore; CISF units in Mumbai/Bhopal and Goa Police.
He has earlier been awarded the Samman Patra in 2006 of his outstanding performance by the Chief Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, Pune.
He has also been given a Certificate of Merit in recognition of the exemplary services rendered by him in Preventive and Anti-smuggling activities by Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai in 1995.
He was posted in Mumbai for many years where he busted several drug rackets.
Claudius joined the Department in 1985 and has detected several cases of foreign currency and silver smuggling amounting to more than Rs 7.5 crores on his own information. He has also detected several cases of smuggling of gold/silver/foreign currency leading to seizure of the contraband worth more than Rs 30 crores.
In the area of custom duty evasion, he has detected cases of misuse of advance licenses and various export promotion schemes and recovered duty of more than Rs 4 crores and seizure of goods worth nearly Rs 20 crores.
He is also instrumental in the arrest of several persons in drug related offences and has seized various narcotics and psychotropic substances worth several crores under the provision of the NDPS Act.
Claudius completed his schooling at Our Lady of Perpetual Succor High School, Chembur, Mumbai and is a Science graduate from Mumbai University. He then completed his Masters in Management from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.
Claudius, popularly known as Raja to all his near and dear ones, is the son of the late Anthony Diego Fernandes from Mochhar (St Roque’s Church, Neerude Parish) and Louiza Fernandes from Belloor Parish (St Michael’s Church).