The other side of the COIN?
COIN is another sleuth organisation, little known outside a small coterie in the Department. This is the Customs Overseas Intelligence Network known as COIN, mostly filled with former DRI officers. These COIN officers work in foreign countries for Indian Customs.
The COIN units pass on intelligence gathered from overseas or collected onrequest from the Zonalunits, which assists in DRI's investigation.
Audit asked DRI information about:
(i) The success ratio of intelligence given by the COIN officers in terms of SCN, seizure and recovery.
(ii) The efficiency of information exchanged with REIC and other intelligence agencies.
DRI replied that this is highly confidential and such details could not be shared with statutory audit. DRI did not even provide information on the number and value of cases aided by COIN.
Audit wondered, "It is not known to audit how is the efficacy of the COIN system independently evaluated especially because there is no technical audit of DRI."
COIN is a prestigious and highly prosperous posting for the ex DRI officers. An officer of the level of Additional Commissioner would get a monthly salary of about three lakhs of rupees, mostly tax-free with a lot of other allowances thrown in plus the attraction of working in a foreign country. (maybe Audit doesn't know this)
And Audit laments that they seem to be above audit!