KARACHI: MCC Appraisement East has booked an importer and clearing agent for evasion of duties and taxes through submission of fake and forged documents showing under invoiced and suppressed transaction value of the goods.

Collector Saeed Akram had formed a team comprising Deputy collector Talha Salman, Principal Appraiser Dost Muhammad, Appraising Officers Muhammad Jawaid, Muhammad Aamir, Muhammad Bilal, Senior Preventive Officer Malak Hashim and Adil Rasheed and others to check revenue evasion through mis-declaration.

During the course of investigation of an FIR, Customs officials visited premises of the importers’ Karachi Office-cum-warehouse located near Godown Chowrang in Korongi Industrial Area along with R&D’s team to inspect and procure relevant record of the case from their office.

This office is also shared by other firms of the same group of persons.

The documents obtained from the said office also included import documents of various consignments imported by a trader. The received documents were scrutinized by the R&D team in the light of the relevant record available in WeBOC System, which revealed that the importer imported three consignments of ‘Basil Seed Drink’ from Thailand and sought clearance through their authorized clearing agents. Scrutiny found mis-declaration of values in these GDs in order to evade legitimate government revenue.

It was established that the accused importer deliberately under-declared value of the imported goods, ‘Basil seed drinks’ and evaded government’s legitimate revenue of Rs3.267 million.

An FIR is lodged, while Customs obtained 5-day remand of the accused to continue with the investigations.