KARACHI: Twenty brand-new computers allotted to Customs Appraisement East have gone missing from the Customs House Karachi store room, prompting a formal inquiry referred to the Deputy Collector of Customs Enforcement.
The computers were supplied by FBR headquarters and stored at the facility.
During a routine inspection on August 25, staff found the store room empty of all 20 units, though the original cartons and packing material remained in place, indicating the equipment had been deliberately removed rather than misplaced.
A preliminary inquiry traced the theft to the night of August 13. CCTV footage showed two men on motorcycles leaving through the Customs House main gate at around 10:33 pm.
According to the referral, a customs official posted at Fisheries, identified as Arif Shah, was present at the main gate at the time and was seen interacting with the men as they exited with the computer units.
Investigators say his presence and apparent contact with the motorcyclists warrant closer scrutiny.
The footage further showed that three guards assigned to the main gate that night, sepoys Laeeq Ahmed, Imran, and Junaid Ali Shah, were not at their designated posts but were instead seated inside the guard room while the theft took place.
Part of the main gate was also found open during this period. Investigators have described the absence of guards from their duty points at the time the computers were taken as a serious lapse.
The referral additionally flags the frequent presence of Arif Shah at the Customs House despite being posted at Fisheries as another point requiring investigation, and calls for a full inquiry into the incident.
