KARACHI: The Customs Adjudication has penalized a person for smuggling prohibited mobile phones in to the country in the garb of family baggage.
The Adjudication has ordered confiscation of 307 mobile phones recovered from the accused, Mohammad Kashif s/o Abdul Aziz Musa and imposed a penalty of Rs1.0 million on him.
According to the details of the case, Customs staff stopped a family at international arrivals of Jinnah Airport Karachi including Mohammad Kashif, his spouse Sumera and three children arrived from Dubai. On suspicion, the baggage of the family was examined in the presence of two witnesses and 307 assorted mobile phones were recovered.
On spot interrogation, the accused revealed that the seized mobile phones belonged to mobile dealers of Karachi.
It was also found that besides running a mobile telephone outlet in Dubai, Mohammad Kashif also sends cell phones to different mobile dealers in Pakistan. Investigation further revealed that the accused shuttles between Dubai and Karachi in connection with his mobile smuggling business. During 2014 alone, he made 12 visits and few times he reached and left Karachi on the same day which speaks volumes of his indulgence in this sordid trade of mobile smuggling.
The counselor of the accused appeared before the Adjudication and submitted that the charges leveled against Mohammad Kashif were illegal as the seized mobile phones were freely importable items and the accused was subjected to discriminations.
Customs Adjudication after observing every detail ordered confiscation of 307 mobile phones including 40 Samsung Galaxy S-5; 20 Samsung Galaxy Note-3; 05 Samsung Galaxy core; 09 Samsung note-3 and 233 i-Phone-5. A penalty of Rs1.0 million was also imposed.