LAHORE: Customs Intelligence, Lahore range registered 127 cases during the second quarter involving Rs2.085 billion in comparison to 76 cases involving Rs1.082 billion during the second quarter of the previous financial year (2021-22), registering an increase of 93 percent.
ASO wing of Customs Intelligence Lahore seized a huge quantity of smuggled goods, including tobacco items (11530 tins), betel nuts /Areca Nut (22,170kg), tyres (1,860 Nos), cloth (127,462kg), skimmed milk (19,975kg), tiles (1,200 cartons), crockery & glassware (35,457kg), welding electrodes (2,000kg), zinc ingots (2,770kg), paraffin wax (259 cartons), petroleum jelly (10,150kg), shoes/joggers (27,894 pairs) and huge quantity of other goods like copper ingots, monosodium glutamate, auto parts etc.
It is noteworthy that 30 vehicles were seized between October 2022 and December 2022 in comparison to 21 vehicles seized in corresponding quarter of last year. Additional Director, Ch Rizwan Bashir Kalair supervised the operations. Faiz Ahmad Chadhar, Director General Customs Intelligence, said that non-traditional techniques like tracking back from online sources were used. Two remarkable examples include seizure of smuggled branded shoes in December and medical equipment in November. Both were selling products online by using social media. Meticulous intelligence tools were used to unearth the same, he added.
Furthermore, Investigation & Prosecution (I&P) Branch of this Directorate lodged 12 FIRs. Organised gangs involved in smuggling of vehicles were also busted and the criminal proceedings initiated against accused persons. I&P branch arrested Nabi Bakhsh in September, 2022 who was one of the ring leaders behind operating the network of smuggling in the entire country. The aforesaid accused is still in judicial custody and investigations are underway.
A total of 19 accused persons were arrested during this period. Around 12 cases of CIF worth Rs7.505 billion involving duty & taxes of Rs2.813 billion were registered by Enforcement Wing of Lahore Intelligence. During this quarter of FY 2022-23, duty & taxes amounting Rs32.6 million were realised marking an increase of 75 percent viz-a-viz 2nd quarter of FY 2021-22, by taking action against attempts of evasion of duty & taxes.
The Auction branch registered an increase of 27 percent in disposals as goods worth Rs88 million were disposed of through public auction during 2nd quarter of FY 2022 compared to Rs69 million realised in last year’s same quarter.
Furthermore, Rs31m were realised through redemption of goods against payment of duty & taxes marking a significant increase of 55% in comparison to Rs20m realised in quarter ending of FY 2021-22. During current financial year revenue realised in first six months was Rs253m vs Rs137m for the previous financial year, which is 48% higher.
