QUETTA: In a significant breakthrough, Customs Appraisement Taftan has issued a Show Cause Notice to Syed Mehdi, the son of Syed Mohammad Ali, for attempting to bring dutiable and restricted goods into Pakistan.
The seized items include a variety of commercial quantities such as machine-made woven carpets, floor rugs (Durries), assorted glassware, textile door mats, children’s artificial leather sandals (sizes 27 to 28), gents’ artificial leather sandals (sizes 40 to 45), girls’ casual plastic shoes (sizes 37 to 40), elastic strips, and cobbler thread.
The consignment was being transported in a Mercedes Benz bus under the guise of passenger baggage through the Taftan-Mirjaveh Border Gate. The total duties and taxes involved amount to Rs. 3,014,274.
The act constitutes a violation of several sections of the Customs Act, 1969, including sections 16 and 139, with further references to the Imports & Exports (Control) Act, 1950, the Sales Tax Act, 1990, and the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The case also involves punishable offenses under the sub-sections of these acts and corresponding SROs.
In a parallel operation, Customs officials at the NLC Dry Port in Quetta successfully dismantled a sophisticated pilferage scheme. Chief Collector Yaqoob Mako, Collector Jameel Baloch, Deputy Collector Ali Haider Moosani, and Assistant Collector Akhtar Amin spearheaded the operation, leading to the filing of two First Information Reports (FIRs), with more likely to follow.
The investigation revealed that the actual imported goods were pilfered and substituted en route in collusion with the bonded carrier and the tracking company, M/s. TPL Tracker Ltd, Karachi. Collector Quetta and Taftan Jameel Baloch, along with Additional Collector Kaleemullah, played a key role in busting the smuggling network operating via Taftan to Quetta.
This major crackdown highlights the Customs Department’s commitment to curbing smuggling activities and ensuring the enforcement of Pakistan’s trade laws. Further investigations are underway, and more arrests and legal actions are expected in the coming days.