LAHORE: Under the guidance of Faiz Ahmad Chadhar, Director-General, Customs Intelligence and Investigation and under the supervision of Ch. Rizwan Bashir Kalair, Additional Director, Customs Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) Lahore Range has shown incredible performance in the FY 2022-23.
There are two major streams of functions viz anti-smuggling and enforcement and on both sides unprecedented achievements have been made by Customs Intelligence Lahore, in its territorial and functional jurisdictions.
The Directorate, despite of its very limited resources, has ensured meticulous implementation of tax laws and zero tolerance against smuggling, through efficient utilization of the Directorate’s available resources.
ANTI-SMUGGLING
Customs Intelligence, Lahore has surpassed the PKR 6 billion figure for the first time in the history of Directorate. Anti-smuggling arm of the Directorate has successfully framed 479 seizures of record value of PKR 6188 million in FY-22-23. The new team, that assumed duties from September 2022 has been able to make 403 seizures of approximately Rs 5.7 billion which compared to same period of the Previous financial year reflects an enormous increase of about 37% (Last year the figures were 4.1 billion in 334 cases)
1. KEY FEATURES:
Following are some of the significant highlights of the Directorate’s Anti-smuggling drive in FY-22-23:
• The Highest value of seizures cases for a month was set in October 2022 when goods and vehicles worth Rs1231 million were seized.
• For the first time, 217 Nos. of NCP/Tampered vehicles were seized during FY-22-23 amounting to PKR 1.75 billion that is exceptionally high in comparison to any preceding year. Previous best was 96 vehicles in year. This is incomparable and unparalleled.
• Record for highest number of seizure of vehicles in a single month was also set with seizure of 30 Vehicles during February 2023.
• Single highest value seizure case amounting to PKR 856 million was made by this team in October 2022.
• 4.6 million Sticks of assorted smuggled cigarettes have also been seized in FY-22-23 valuing PKR 211 million which is 75% more than PKR 120 million of cigarettes seized in the PFY.
• Since 2001, after a lapse of almost 22 years, first liquor case was framed by the Directorate in Feb, 2023 wherein 165 bottles of foreign origin assorted liquor were seized from a storage located in a densely populated slum.
• The Directorate during the FY-22-23 not only framed the cases of record values but also realized PKR 652 million through frequent auctions, submission of adjudged duty & taxes and fine/penalties on part of swift disposal of cases at various fora.
2. Summary ASO:
Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO ) has successfully registered “479” seizures cases in FY-22-23 amounting to PKR 6188 million which is 8.4% higher in comparison to PKR 5708 million for 374 number of seizure cases registered during the PFY. It is noteworthy that, since September 2022, after the assumption of charge of Director, Saima Shahzad and Additional Director, Ch. Rizwan Bashir Kalair, the Directorate has registered cases valuing PKR 5.7 billion from September 2022 to June 2023 which is 37 % higher than cases valuing PKR 4.1 billion in the corresponding period of PFY.
3. Key Performers
Rizwan Bashir Kalair, Additional Director
Ali Asad, Deputy Director
Rai Waqar Ahmad, Superintendent
Sohail Murtaza, I.O
Gulzar Bhatti, I.O
Ahtisham Naveed, I.O
4. Investigation & Prosecution (I&P) Branch
• lodged 29 FIRs
• arrested 61 offenders
• Submitted 24 challans during FY-22-23 in continuation of seizure cases framed by ASO branch.
• In addition, organized gangs and impersonators involved in smuggling of vehicles have also been busted during this period and the criminal proceedings have been initiated against accused persons.
Around a dozen persons impersonating as Customs Intelligence officers and officials were arrested. This include one person impersonating as Assistant Director, two as inspectors and the rest as sepoys.
Many organized gangs of vehicles and other smuggling goods were also busted.
Some key smugglers including notorious Nabi Bakhsh were also arrested and challaned.
5. Key Performers
Rizwan Bashir Kalair, Additional Director
Shah Samad Hamadani, Deputy Director
Usman Azad, I.O
ENFORCEMENT BRANCH
Enforcement branch detects evasion of duty taxes cases from Customs Collectorates (dry ports / air ports etc). During the FY 22-23 the Enforcement Wing of Customs Intelligence Lahore performed exceptionally well. Key achievement is as under:-
Enforcement Wing has registered “51” cases involving Duty & Taxes of PKR 3.1 billion, in FY 22-23 as compared to “42” cases involving Duty & Taxes of PKR 2,4 billion in PFY, thus displaying augmentation by 27%.
During the FY-22-23, the revenue realized by the enforcement branch is about PKR 11 crore, over and above already paid amount.
Last year the amount was 8.7 crore, the increase in realized revenue is about 25 %.
Key Performers
Rizwan Bashir Kalair, Additional Director
Muhammad Anwar, Assistant Director
Abdul Hameed, I.O
Director General Customs Intelligence Pakistan Faiz Ahmad lauded efforts of Ch. Rizwan Bashir, Additional Director for unprecedented achievements on both fronts. He emphasized that this contribution of Lahore range is part of a coordinated drive of the Directorate General of Customs Intelligence in particular and FBR in general against smuggling and tax evasion. He further stressed that performance of the Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation-Customs, throughout the country was exceptional, especially when compared with available scarce resources (HR & finances).
