ISLAMABAD: Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation, Lahore, on Monday made a record seizure of smuggled goods including expired cosmetics of nearly Rs856 million from the godown of a private school premises.
This is the biggest seizure of smuggled goods made by the regional Customs intelligence authorities of Lahore.
FIR No 57/2022 has been lodged by the I&P cell of the Directorate Customs Regional Office Lahore, for criminal investigation, and Zain Ullah Khan, General Manager of the godown has been apprehended. The agency’s Headquarters is being informed about the outcome after analyzing and investigating the matter in due course of time.
Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Asim Ahmad stressed need to beef up countrywide operations against smuggling and smuggled goods, at the Directors’ Quarterly Conference convened in the Headquarters office of the Directorate General Intelligence & Investigation, Islamabad.
The Director General (I&I) Customs Faiz Ahmad Chadhar has devised an anti-smuggling policy aligned with parameters of transparency and zero tolerance for smuggling.
The Lahore Range office of the Directorate General has accordingly aligned it’s available resources to achieve better results against smuggling.
Accordingly, the Director (I&I), Lahore, Saim Shahzad, constituted a team under the supervision of Additional Director (ASO), Ch Rizwan Bashir Kalair, to analyze a tip-off regarding a hideout place of smuggled goods inside a private school premises.
After proper surveillance, a team comprising of officers/officials of the Directorate including Deputy Director (ASO), Ali Asad and Superintendent (ASO), Rai Waqar and led by Additional Director (ASO), Rizwan Bashir raided the godown after obtaining proper search warrants u/s 162 of the CA, 1969. This has led to a huge recovery of foreign origin miscellaneous smuggled goods comprising fabric, shoes, cosmetics, tools, furniture, toys, fixtures, crockery and electronics.
The detailed inventory of the smuggled goods recovered from the godown is given below in the table having total worth of approximately Rs 856 million, out of which cosmetics amounting to Rs 60 million have been found expired, which were planned to be sold after changing the tags of expiry. The material for removal of expiry dates and their substitution with new dates was also found in the premises.
It is noteworthy that the aforementioned seizure is the biggest case in the history of Directorate (I&I) Customs, Lahore because of value.
Detail of recovered goods included electronics: ACs, dry iron, blender, circuit breaker, re-chargeable fan, electronics speakers/buffer, vacuum cleaner, electric chopper, blander, juicer and mixture, food processor, snack maker, sandwich maker, electric kettle, coffeemaker, rechargeable radio etc and battery operated toys/scooter/cars, stroller for kids, crockery, tiles, heavy duty treadmills, electric & manual tools (Drills, Grinders, Pliers, Screwdriver etc) and re-chargable scooties.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022