QUETTA: Some customs staff members with the help of outsiders have also looted confiscated goods in Quetta warehouse, it emerged on Sunday.
According to media, the few staff members of Quetta Customs I&I looted items included electronics, garments, tyres, chemicals and mobile phones worth Rs70 million with the help of local people.
Customs I&I team confiscated these goods a few months ago in different raids. This is the third major theft by the customs officials.
It is necessary to mention here that, I&I staff were found involved in stealing of goods from customs’ state warehouse in Karachi.
Sources told that the high-ups of the customs department have registered a first information report (FIR) of the incident against five staff members of the department under the customs act and reportedly arrested two to three persons.
They said that the department had registered an FIR against two officials namely Mehmood Akbar and Pervaiz Ahmed Zaradi, and left four other officials namely Mehar Rafeeq, Naseem Mehmood Cheema, Khawaja Zia and Hamid Kurd, who were also involved in theft of betel nuts.
Earlier, the customs team found involved in the stealing of confiscated luxury phones from Lahore warehouse. Although the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had conducted a probe, the matter had later been sent back to the department and there is no update on the matter.
Now customs department has started working on installing video cameras in all warehouses in order to see the matter directly from the FBR headquarters but the matter is still pending and new team of customs did not pay heed on this matter.
Customs intelligence director general also confirmed that few customs staff members were involved in the theft in the Quetta warehouse. “We have registered an FIR and will take action against these individuals” he concluded as saying.
