KARACHI:The staff of Anti Smuggling Organization (ASO) of Model Customs Collectorate (MCC) Hyderabad foiled a bid to smuggle 25,000 litres High Speed Diesel (HSD) from Quetta to interior Sindh. The commodity and the tanker were also impounded.
According to a FIR, Additional Collector Omar Shafiq was tipped that diesel would be smuggled from Quetta in a vehicle without registration number plate.
Subsequently, the ASO staff spotted a truck parked at a hotel near Toll Plaza, Jamshoro. Upon enquiry from the hotel staff and thereafter no cleaner, driver of any other person came forward to claim the ownership of the parked/ abandoned vehicle.
The ASO staff during examination of the truck found that a tank concealed and mounted in the 12-wheeler truck, surrounded by steel walls and backed with wooden covers. The registration plate was not found. The cabin of the truck was searched for recovering documents as to the registration of the vehicle or calibration chart and invoices about HSD loaded in the impounded vehicle.
After completion of legal formalities regarding seizure at the plat of occurrence, ASO staff brought the seized vehicle to MCC Hyderabad and lodged an FIR.
The value of the confiscated HSD is estimated to be approx Rs1.8 million and of impounded vehicle estimated to be Rs3.0 million while the amount of duty and taxes involved are estimated to be around Rs0.809 million.