HYDERABAD: Keeping in line with the directions of Director General Rasheed Sheikh to curb the menace of smuggling, the Customs of Intelligence & Investigation Hyderabad under the supervision of Director Dr. Sadiqullah Khan tightened the controls and kept extra vigilance against the organized smuggling of contraband items.
In this regard, Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation-FBR (Customs) Regional Office, Hyderabad was directed for active surveillance on the movement and possible dumping places of contraband goods.
On receipt of a credible information that huge quantity of Indian gutkha would be transported from Lahore to Karachi, the team of SIU along with Rangers Intelligence, Hyderabad were put on active surveillance. Subsequently, a godwon in Khipro, district Mirpurkhas as raided and recovered 965 bags contains 50,066 Packets of Indian origin Gutkha along with 22 wheeler Hino Truck / Trailer mounted with 40ft Container valuing Rs79.483 million, the biggest ever single case of the Regional Directorate Hyderabad.
FIR is being lodged. Preliminary investigations are under process.
Meanwhile, the Directorate also conducted another operation earlier this month, against Non-Custom Paid vehicles. The team of ASO Wing of the Directorate along with Indus Rangers Sindh at district Nawabshah / Shaheed Benazirabad, seized two smuggled vehicles worth Rs.2.6 million. Moreover, the Range Office, Sukkur of the Directorate also foiled the plan of smuggling of organized group of smuggler and seized a consignment of Iranian Tiles along with Trailer worth Rs.12.581 million from Jacobbabad.
It is also mentioned that the Regional Directorate has achieved 92% of the assigned target by mid-June 2020 and reported overall growth of 67.30% over the corresponding period.
Despite the lockdown due to the Corona Virus pandemic, the Regional Directorate has shown their efforts to curb the menace of smuggling. Director, Dr. Sadiqullah Khan appreciated the efforts of ASO wing of the Directorate headed by the Additional Director, Syed Naeem Akhtar and Deputy Director Syed Muhammad Raza Naqvi especially the efforts of I.0 Syed Shafiq Ali and Sepoys Noushad Khan, Ghayas Ahmed Shah, Azam Ali, Muhammad Akhtar, Mazhar baig, Aleemuddin and Muhammad Ramzan.