LAHORE: The Customs Intelligence and Investigation has unearthed a scandal involving tax and duty evasion to the tune of millions of rupees and has seized 14 containers.
Official sources said that Customs Intelligence and Investigation Director General Lutfullah Virk was tipped off about a gang involved in the unlawful unloading of heavy duty imported goods with replacement of low duty goods by breaking seals of the containers near Manga Mandi.
The director general constituted a raiding team comprising Additional Director Mohsin Rafiq, Deputy Director Dr Rizwan Salabat, Superintendent Gulzar Butt, Intelligence Officers – Mian Muhammad Yasin, Zahid Saleem Mirza, SM Abbas and Syed Amir Raza Rizvi under the supervision of Intelligence Director Imtiaz Ali Khan.
The team intercepted an imported container No APHU-6944339 loaded on a vehicle (P-8362) near Manga Mandi, some 36 kilometre away from here which was later taken to a bonded carrier “DOCKS Private” allegedly by an importer.
When the team reached the site, seals of the containers were broken illegally and heavy duty imported electronic and auto parts goods were being allegedly replaced with low duty tissues, marble slabs, glass balls and clay pots.
On seeing the raiding team, all culprits escaped from the scene under shade of darkness. The entire goods were taken into custody after registration of a case against eight accused.
The gang used to reseal imported containers properly after unloading and replacing heavy duty goods with low duty goods on the way to Lahore from Karachi. They later dispatched these containers to Lahore Dry Port for examination and clearance after payment of nominal 5% taxes and duties instead of 35%.
On the basis of preliminary investigation, a total of 12 such containers were detained at Lahore Dry Port and one at Dry Port Faisalabad.
Meanwhile, one of the intelligence officers of the raiding team Mian Muhammad Yasin has received life threats. It is to be noted that Mian Yasin had detected a tax evasion of Rs 200 million last month.
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