FAISALABAD: The Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) Faisalabad has confiscated Indian origin red chilli seeds loaded on a Bedford truck during an action near Bypass Chowk, Jhang Road Faisalabad.
Reportedly, ASO Faisalabad Deputy Collector Usman Tariq deputed Superintendent Tanveer Raza Naqvi, Inspector Safdar Ali and Sepoys Muhammad Ashraf, Muhammad Anwar, Zulfikar Ali and Abdul Sattar on Jhang Road and instructed him to check the vehicle of M/s Pak Neelam Goods Forwarding Agency.
The said Superintendent along with his team started checking of the vehicles and intercepted the said Bedford truck with registration No: XA-578 loaded with red chilli (2448-kgs) and whole red chilli seeds (4360-Kgs) which was coming from Islamabad and going to Faisalabad. The checking led to the recovery of red chilli and seeds worth Rs02.2million involving custom duty and taxes of Rs378761. The value of the truck is Rs700000.
The team asked Driver named Raja Muhammad Mushtaq son of Muhammad Ilyas Khan for the booking documents of the recovered items but he could not produce the same. The driver revealed that the said item was booked from the M/s Pak Neelam Goods Forwarding Agency Islamabad.
So the officials impounded the item under the customs bylaws, but released the driver after a proper investigation. The customs also served notice on the manager of goods forwarding agency and referred the case to the adjudication for further legal action.
The ASO team has vowed to curb the smuggling under the campaign launched by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
