KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has submitted the interim challan in the court against the customs officials who are accused of taking bribes and facilitating smugglers of betel nuts, Irani diesel and other items.
According to the challan, the FIA arrested Tariq Mehmood, Senior Preventive Superintendent (SPS) of Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO), Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Karachi, on 14 July 2023. During interrogation, he confessed that he and other officers posted at various check posts in Karachi used to collect monthly bribe/illegal gratification from the smugglers under the guise of speed money. He named some of the smugglers as Alam, Shah Khalid, Ghulab Shah, Noor Nazar, Akbar Baloch, Raheem, Ali Zehr, Ghous, Waheed Kakar, Khuda Dost, Khuda-e-Nazar, Bakhtayar, Raheem, Ismail, Noor Ahmed, Qasim, Saeed, Naiseer, Salal and others.
He also revealed that Shahbaz, Preventive Officer (PO), used to collect bribe/illegal gratification from vehicles in lieu of facilitating them in transportation and distribution of smuggled goods from Yousuf Goth to different parts of Karachi and other cities of Pakistan. He further disclosed that the customs officials posted at Mochko Checkpost used to collect Rs.200,000/- to Rs.900,000/- on daily basis from the vehicles carrying/transporting smuggled goods. He also admitted that he used to receive the collection of bribe/illegal gratification from different check-posts and distribute it among various officers and officials of Collectorate of Enforcement according to their designation/grade. He also mentioned that the details of distribution of bribe/illegal gratification were recorded in a register maintained at his office.
On his pointation, the FIA raided the ASO office at Pakistan Custom, Ghass Bandar Kemari Karachi on 15 July 2023 and recovered a ledger/daily expense register containing details of usage of bribe/illegal gratification amount in respect of daily expenditures of ASO officers and collection received by the shifts on daily basis from November 2022 till May 2023. The FIA stated that the recovery of the register substantiated the prosecution’s version that the accused officers/officials of Pakistan Customs were involved in facilitating smugglers in smuggling of goods against receipt of bribe/illegal gratification from them.
Tariq Mehmood also disclosed that Tayyab Khan, who was posted at different sections of ASO/Preventive of Enforcement Collectorate of Pakistan Custom, was the front man of Usman Bajwa, then Collector (Enforcement Collectorate). He said that Tayyab Khan used to receive the share of proceeds of bribe/illegal gratification for Usman Bajwa and used to convert cash proceeds into gold bars through different jewellers including Jewel Palace, Gulf Mall, Clifton, Karachi.
Tariq Mehmood further disclosed that mostly Usman Bajwa used to give verbal directions to him at his office to convert the bribe/illegal gratification amount into Gold Bars, after that he conveyed the aforesaid directions to accused Tayyab Khan SPO, who converted the bribe/gratification amount into Gold Bars (10 Tola each) from jewellers at Clifton Karachi and thereafter handed over to accused Tariq Mehmood for onward delivery to Usman Bajwa.
He further disclosed that Usman Bajwa directed him to give collection amount before 15 of every month. In March and April 2023, he has given Rs.40 million each in gold bars once in Karachi at his flat in Creek Vista and secondly in Lahore during Ramzan 2023 to one of his representative viz. Salman.
The initial technical report of cell phone of accused Tariq Mehmood contains cell number of Salman, being shared by accused Usman Bajwa with Tariq Mehmood. Moreover, Salman was also given Rs20 million at Lahore through hawala by some party of accused Muhammad Tayyab. Danish Kaleem, Preventive Officer (PO), Enforcement Collectorate, Pakistan Customs, Karachi also gave gold bars to Usman Bajwa in April, 2023.
After transfer of accused Usman Bajwa, accused Amir Thaeem took over the charge as Collector Customs Enforcement and continued the corrupt practices of Usman Bajwa by way of collection of bribe/illegal gratification from ASO/Preventive through accused Tariq Mehmood (SPS), Tayyab Khan (SPO) and Shahbaz (PO).
He also continued to facilitate the smugglers of betel nuts and Irani diesel and also further directed Tariq Mehmood, Danish Kaleem, Shahbaz and Tayyab to make contacts with dealers / smugglers of betel nuts, hence Shahbaz, Tariq Mehmood, Danish Kaleem and Tayyab made contacts with accused Imran Yousuf Noorani of M/s Sunny Products and with Atif/Metro.
Further, in the last of May 2023, Atif Metro gave Rs.20 million to accused Tayyab in respect of Bombay Chalia and Rajni Chalia. This amount was given to the then Collector Amir Thaeem in shape of gold bars at his residence at Fazia Housing (Falcon Complex), Baloch Colony Karachi. In June 2023, accused Shahbaz and Tayyab collected Rs6.5 million from different parties of betel nuts which was given to Amir Thaeem as gold bar.
In the last of June 2023, Rs7.0 million was given to ADC Amjad Rajpar and Rs3.5million to Tariq Hussain DC/ASO through Ubaidullah/PO, as their shares for the month of June 2023.
On 04 July 2023, Atif Metro gave Rs.10 million and the same was converted into gold bars by Tayyab Khan and handed over to Amir Thaeem by accused Tariq Mehmood on 05.07.2023.
It is pertinent to mention here that some of the above mentioned smugglers i.e. Khuda-e-Nazar, Khuda Dost etc were also in contact with accused Yawar Abbas Intelligence Officer for clearance of their vehicles carrying smuggled goods.
Most importantly, one Smuggler Dawood Khan is in contact with tariq mehmood as well as Yawar Abbas regarding settlement with various betel nuts smugglers and factories intending to buy smuggled betel nut.
Dawood Khan has shared various voice messages on Whatsapp with accused Tariq Mehmood regarding names of factories of betel nuts along with the owner names.
During investigation, names of SPs Iftikhar Hasa, IO Asad Farooqi, SPS Salahuddin Wazir, Bashir Bhutto, SPO Sohail, ASI Wajid have surfaced to be involved.
The FIA also recovered a diary from the residence of Tayyab Khan containing names of smugglers disclosed by Tariq Mehmood. The FIA claimed that the recovery of diary corroborated that the accused officers/officials of Pakistan Customs were involved in facilitating smugglers in smuggling of betel nuts, Irani diesel and other items against receiving bribe/illegal gratification from them.
The FIA has requested the court to accept the interim challan and proceed with the trial against the accused customs officials. The FIA has also stated that further investigation is underway to arrest more culprits involved in this case.
Saquif Saeed, Usman Bajwa and Muhammad Tayyab Khan have been declared absconders.