KARACHI: Customs Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi has sent a suspect, Muhammad Rafiq, to the Customs Department on physical remand.
Rafiq was allegedly involved in removing and misusing a pay-order of Rs 2,500, 000 from the securities section of the collectorate.
During the hearing, investigation officer produced the suspect before the court and submitted that the suspect had allegedly removed pay-order from the securities section of the collectorate and deposited it into the personal accounts of un-authorized importer. He also informed that the pay-order number CDR PMK993521 was issued on December 14, 2016 by Bank Alfalah, Paper Market, Karachi on account of M/s Elahi Traders, authorized importer, but was allegedly deposited in the personal accounts of Muhammad Rehman Khan, the owner of Khan Traders (NTN 4160783-0).
Earlier, the complainant, Muhammad Saleem Khan, Appraising Officer at Research and Development Section, Appraisement East, Customs House, Karachi had filed the First Information Report against Rafiq and other suspects.
The complainant alleged that Rafiq was actively involved in this illegal depositing of pay-order. “At the time of deposit of the funds into the personal accounts by the NBP, the WeBOC system requires NTN number of the personal account holder, in which the funds are to be deposited. After entering NTN number by the bank official, the WeBOC system displays the name of the account holder. It is responsibility of NBP official to check the account holder’s name displayed by the WeBO system and the name of the authorized importer on the pay-order.”
Saleem Khan revealed that only, if both names are matched, the pay-order should be accepted for the deposit otherwise it is not allowed. He claimed that Muhammad Rafiq entered the NTN number of Muhammad Rehman Khan despite the fact that the pay-order was in the name of M/s Elahi Traders.
According to the prosecution, the co-accused Muhammad Rafiq submitted false information into WeBOC system electronically in order to defraud the government from its legitimate asset and committed a fiscal fraud as defined under Sections 32A of the Customs Act, 1969, punishable under clause 14A of Section 156(1) of the Customs Act, 1969.
