KARACHI: The Customs authorities have detected a major evasion of duty and taxes worth approximately Rs9.76 million after it was found that the baggage facility for overseas Pakistanis was being misused to clear commercial goods under the guise of personal items.
The action was initiated on credible information received by Chief Collector of Customs, Basit Abbasi, indicating that the baggage scheme was being exploited and that relevant statutory regulatory orders (SROs) were being circumvented.
The information was subsequently passed to Collector Customs, Karachi, Moinuddin Wani. Following this, Additional Collector Yasir Kalwar formed a two-member team comprising Assistant Collector Jeevan Lal and Appraising Officer Syed Khawar Hashmi to conduct an investigation.
The team examined ten consignments at the Appraisement East section, which revealed significant discrepancies in assessment and examination. According to the findings, commercial quantities of goods were being cleared as bonafide personal baggage, leading to the substantial revenue evasion.
“The baggage scheme is a facility for overseas Pakistanis to send miscellaneous goods for personal use, not for commercial quantities of specific items. This is a clear misuse of SROs,” a senior Customs official stated.
In response to the initial findings, the Customs Collectorate has blocked a total of 61 baggage consignments for further scrutiny. To expedite the clearance of legitimate baggage, joint examinations of the remaining consignments are proposed.
The crackdown comes amid heightened monitoring by Customs and intelligence agencies against smuggling. Authorities note that with tighter controls on appraisement and import channels, smugglers are increasingly resorting to misdeclaration and misuse of concessionary schemes such as the baggage facility.
“Monitoring at appraisement has been intensified, reducing the flow of smuggling through misdeclaration and SRO misuse. Now, attempts are being made to exploit the baggage route,” an official involved in the operation explained.
Collector of Enforcement across various collectorates has also been directed to block suspicious baggage consignments, with coordinated examinations planned to prevent delays for genuine users while ensuring revenue protection.
