LAHORE: The customs officials have confiscated about 2,095 mobile phones valued Rs31millon from the passengers travelling by different flights during hundreds of raids on the Allama Iqbal International Airport from July 2016 to June 30, 2017. Actions were taken against the accused in 60 different raids. The Customs Preventive has also registered 60 cases against the mobile phone smugglers.
Sources told Customs Today that officers conducted operations in different flights coming from Dubai to Lahore, Turkey to Lahore, Jeddah to Lahore and Muscat to Lahore, Colombo to Lahore, Tashkent to Lahore and hundreds of other flights.
During actions in the flights, customs staff recovered a big number of mobile phones, mobile accessories, mobile chargers and power banks. The customs officials have recovered 2,095 cell-phones of Apple, Samsung and Oppo which are of Rs30million in Pakistani market. The Customs Preventive has registered cases against 60 passengers after the confiscation of all cell-phones from their possession.
The customs has also confiscated currencies of different countries from the possession of passengers travelling from Lahore to other countries. The amount of confiscated currencies is more than Rs5.2million.
The Pakistan Customs Preventive has impounded different kinds of cloths which were being attempted to smuggle. The customs has registered 321 cases of smuggling of vehicles’ spare parts, surgical instruments and other items. During actions, customs seized the items valued Rs36million.
Most of these items were recovered from passengers coming from Saudi Arabia to Lahore and Dubai to Lahore. The airport customs has also confiscated different types of chemicals and medicines in different actions in a year. From July 2016 to 2017, customs airport recovered such items worth Rs03million in 18 different actions. The customs has also registered cases against all the accused. Legal proceedings against the accused are underway in the customs court.
Hundreds of kilograms of mobile accessories were also recovered from Lahore airport. The security officers have launched an investigation into the matter. The customs has seized all the recovered items and started investigation.
It is a common practice that passengers, coming from European countries, carry different items with them but leave them on the premises of the airport to avoid arrest.
