Valuable items worth Rs10 bn replaced with scrap at Karachi port to avoid customs duty
JIT has been formed to launch investigation against money laundering mafia.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Customs officials on Wednesday have exposed major scandal in which valuable items including mobile phones and laptops worth Rs10 billion were replaced with scrap at Karachi dry port to avoid duty charges of Rs1.5 billion.
According to the officers, the goods were imported to Pakistan from China and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 102 containers, where they were replaced with scarp and sent to Sambrial dry port.
The scope of the probe has been extended after the detention of two suspects while a joint investigation team (JIT) has also been formed to investigate the matter.
A report compiled by Pakistan Customs states that the perpetrators hails from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
The mafia, according to the authorities, is involved in money laundering worth billions of Rupees. Officials of the port as well as employees of Pakistan Customs have been included in the probe.
Earlier in 2013, Sindh Rangers Director General claimed that thousands of NATO containers had been stolen at the port until then after which then chief justice of Pakistan ordered inquiry into the issue.
According to an English daily, 19,000 containers were stolen by that time. Rangers Sindh chief had raised the issue when Babar Ghauri, ports and shipping minister from Muttahida Qaumi Movement was in charge.
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