LAHORE: The Customs Adjudication has summoned the accused involved in tax evasion of Rs 47. 4 million in Transshipment Permit (TP) from Karachi to Lahore Dry Port, asking the parties to explain as to why the confiscated goods are not seized. The TP goods were allegedly replaced at a godown of Rana Tahir Concrete at Shamake Bhattia, Multan Road. According to Customs Investigation and Intelligence, the TP goods were routinely replaced, re-welding the levers of the containers and replacing the Customs seal with low priced goods to evade duty and taxes. The customs authorities revealed that the importers of the TP electronic goods and auto-parts got the good cleared after replacing high value goods with low value.
The Customs authorities disclosed that they while acting upon an information constituted a customs police party under the supervision of superintendent Gulzar Ali on the order of Additional Director Rizwan Slabat and raided a godown and during the search it was seen that
the TP valuable goods were being replaced with low value goods including glass balls, china clay, laptop bags and yellow powder for clearance at NLC Dry Port Lahore.
The customs authorities recovered fake customs seals alongwith the container, trailer and other goods recovered from the gowdown were seized. The Customs authorities alleged that importer, Abdur Rehman Brothers, Docks Customs Clearing Agents/ Bonded Carrier Karachi, Jamshad Iqbal, Ahmad Sadiq, driver and cleaner of the trailer were found involved in transportation, pilferage and fraudulent replacement of TP goods violating section 2(s) of Customs Act 1969 and logged FIR in this connection.
During the investigations, Rana Tahir has confessed that he had rented out the godown to Ch Jamshad Iqbal alias Jamshed Butt of M/s KS Traders. As many as above 27 accused have been summoned by the Customs Adjudication on January 6 to explain their side.
