KARACHI: Collector Appraisement West Karachi, Irfan Wahid, had issued an alert regarding suspicious transactions between Karachi and other cities. The focus is on transit passes (TPs) to Lahore and Peshawar, which must now undergo rigorous monitoring.
Additional Collector Javed Sarwar Shaikh is leading the monitoring efforts, alongside Additional Collector Examination Zubair Shah and R&D Appraising Officer Muhammad Riaz Khan. Their joint efforts aim to curb any illicit activities related to trade and taxation.
Recently, a TP was filed for Appraisement West Lahore by M/s Hadi Industrial Material. However, authorities noticed an abnormal discrepancy in the weight of the declared goods. Acting swiftly, they placed a hold on the suspicious container for further examination.
During the inspection, it was revealed that the consignment labeled as “Bagomatic bladder scrap” contained something entirely different: new tires. The assessed value of the goods was a staggering Rs 26.78 million, with an evaded duty and taxes amounting to Rs 26.04 million.
What’s more, this isn’t an isolated incident. The importer, M/s Hadi Industrial Material, has transshipped 13 consignments with the same misleading description. The bonded carrier responsible for transporting these goods is M/s Jeelan Logistics (Pvt) Limited.
Both the importer and the bonded carrier have submitted requests for the cancellation of the Goods Declaration (GD) TP. The shipper claims that the consignment was shipped in error, but Customs officials are closely scrutinizing the situation.
The case has been referred to the Transit Trade Directorate for further investigation, and an FIR is expected to be filed soon. Authorities are determined to bring those involved in this tax evasion scheme to justice and ensure compliance with import regulations.
It may be mentioned here that Appraisement West Lahore has become quite suspicious as a lot of fraudulent consignments are being transshipped to Lahore as Appraisement South has tightened vigilance on mis-declaration and under-invoicing, therefore unscrupulous elements are routing their consignments to Lahore. Recently, a mega scam of M/s Zaniq Green was unearthed and involvement of Customs Appraisement West staff was also brought to light.
An official said mis-declaration and under-invoicing was almost impossible in Karachi, however Green Channel consignments should be watched closely.