Cigarettes worth Rs250m stolen from warehouses: Senate sub-body directs FBR chief to attend next meeting

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body examining the theft of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes worth Rs 250 million from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) warehouses on Monday, expressed displeasure over the absence of FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and directed him to ensure his attendance in the next meeting.

The Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, which met under the convenorship of Senator Saifullah Abro, also expressed annoyance over the FBR for failing to provide required documents to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The panel directed the chairman to appear at the next session to help ensure the timely conclusion of the matter, which it described as being of significant public importance.

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During the meeting, committee members asked the FBR officials present to contact the chairman and request that he attend the meeting.

The officials informed the panel that attempts had been made to reach him, but his cellphone was switched off.

The sub-committee had been tasked by the main committee to thoroughly probe the disappearance of the cartons from FBR godowns in Swabi and Mardan.

The FBR officials told the panel that six trucks carrying 1,262 cartons of cigarettes were seized in Swabi on January 14, 2024.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026