KARACHI: MCC Exports Karachi has lodged an FIR against M/s Natasha Enterprises and M/s Zaman & Co for attempting to smuggle out antiques including statutes in the garb of artificial handicraft replicas.

M/s Natasha Enterprises filed Goods Declaration (GD) through their agent M/s S. Zaman & Co for export of good declared to be artificial handicraft replicas destined to Hong Kong and was marked for examination by risk management system in WeBOC.

The GD was marked by Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) on hold and was examined and released by ANF staff. After than customs examination was carried out to check the actual description and type of goods on the directives of Collector Saquib Saeed and Additional Collector Shafqat Niazi.

Physical examination of the goods was carried out by Deputy Collector Zehra Tahir Naqvi along with Appraising Officer Altaf ur Rehman.

The articles were then inspected by a team of curators, experts of Department of Archeology and Culture, Karachi, which confirmed that 16 out of 21 objects are antiques. Value and age is being determined by the same department.

The goods including statues of Buddha of assorted shapes, sizes and materials have been seized and investigations are under way.