KARACHI: Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation has constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the pilferage of transshipment (TP) consignments by M/s K.K Metal Industry.
The phenomenon of pilferage of TP consignments during transit is serious enough to be probed thoroughly by a high-level team. Accordingly a JIT headed by Additional Director Rawalpindi Abdul Waheed Marwat and comprising Deputy/Assistant Director (in-charge ASO), Karachi, Superintendent Saleemullah Khan and Intelligence Officer Akmal Hashmi has been constituted.
Deputy Director Afzal Ahmad Watto, Superintendent Tariq Rafiq, Intelligence Officers (IOs) Yawar Abbas, Hameed Bhatti and Mohammad Saleem will assist the JIT. Team would submit fortnightly reports to the Director General till such time the investigation is completed.
Meanwhile, Chief Collector Appraisement South allowed joint examination of containers imported by M/s K.K Metal Industry. IOs Aslam Nadeem, Mohammad Sadiq and Saeed-ur-Rehman examined two containers at MCC Port Qasim and goods were found to be as per declaration. Another container was examined at SAPT and satellite receivers were found in the consignment against the declared scrap metal.
On the information of Director General, Additional Collector Mohammad Raza mobilized ASO team headed by Deputy Director Ali Zeb, which caught a container in Lahore while two containers were seized in Gujranwala. These containers belonged to M/s K.K Metal Industry.
It may be recalled that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Peshawar has taken up the multi-billion rupees scam, which the former member customs and former chairman FBR attempted to bury in the pile of files.
NAB Peshawar is investigating the in-famous transshipment cargo (TP) replacement scam wherein thousands of imported containers were pilfered during transit to dry ports. High value and high tariff goods were replaced by low value and low tariff goods causing huge revenue loss to the national exchequer.
Moreover, tons of contrabands also found their way into the country as certain unscrupulous elements and Customs officers/officials had collided in this dirty business.
Director General Intelligence Lutfullah virk in February 2015 forwarded a report to Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Tariq Bajwa in which Virk highlighted massive revenue leakage pertaining to transshipment cargo from Karachi to up country dry ports.
NAB sources told Customnews.pk that Lutfullah Virk forwarded his report to Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa in 2015 and Tariq Bajwa accordingly marked the report to then Member Customs Nisar Mohammad Khan for inquiry. However, the case was not pursued.
Lutfullah virk then again forwarded the report to Chairman with a reminder and it was marked to Nisar Mohammad Khan but no action was taken.
Even after Nisar Mohammad Khan became Chairman FBR, he did not initiate any action to recover government’s legitimate revenue or any action was taken against the culprits involved in this multi-billion rupees scam.