KARACHI: MCC Appraisement East has booked M/s Insiya Packages and M/s Getco Agencies in three separate FIRs for fraudulent clearance of restricted imported goods including betel nuts and fireworks in the garb of raw material for processing at Karachi Export Processing Zone (KEPZ).
A credible information was received in R&D MCC Appraisement East that M/s Insiya Packages got cleared from Customs at SAPT consignments of restricted goods imported from Dubai purportedly for KEPZ by mis-declaring the goods as job lot plastic film for further processing at KEPZ evading government revenue and serious violations of the mandatory provisions of law and procedure.
Senior Preventive Officer Malak Hashim and staffer Adil Rasheed played a key role in detecting and cracking the case.
It was also known that the importers and their associates were trying to get the actually imported goods illegally replaced with the ones falsely declared in the goods declaration. It was known that the containers had been gated out from the terminal and were standing in Korangi Industrial area. After hectic efforts the subject containers were found and brought back to the terminal.
The importer does not have the required permits and certification for the import of betel nuts while import of fireworks is banned to be imported as per the Import Policy Order.
It was known that a gang of culprits is engaged since long in illegal removal of the imported goods en route to KEPZ in an organized manner with the connivance of some black sheep in the department. Role of tracking company is also very much suspicious in this case.
The value of the seized fireworks is estimated at Rs1.776 million and the incident of duty and taxes comes to Rs0.95 million. The value of betel nuts is estimated at Rs6.76 million involving duty and taxes of Rs8.38 million.
FIRs have been lodged and investigations are underway.