KARACHI: Collectorate of Customs (Exports), PMBQ on Monday claimed to have seized a huge quantity of tipping paper which was set to be delivered clandestinely in the tariff area.
According to the details, credible information was received which revealed that tipping paper imported by a unit in Export Processing Zone, Karachi has been pilfered to the tariff area without payment of duties and taxes.
Accordingly, data was scrutinized which revealed that tipping paper has recently been imported by a tobacco company.
Resultantly, the premises of the said tobacco company were immediately visited where no stocks of recently imported tipping paper were found.
The manager of the importing unit stated that their User ID has been misused and that they have not imported any tipping paper. It was further informed that the imported tipping paper was being transported and stored at another KEPZ unit from where it was being smuggled into tariff area in smaller consignments.
Reacting to this information, the Collectorate Exports Port Muhammad Bin Qasim (PMBQ) raided the warehouses of the involved units and seized a huge quantity of tipping paper which was set to be delivered clandestinely in the tariff area.
The collectorate during the search recovered 28 pallets carrying 2,997 bobbins of tipping paper out of 78 pallets carrying 8,432 bobbins imported recently.
It transpired that 50 pallets carrying 5,435 bobbins of tipping paper were already pilfered to the tariff Area. The import data of the accused trading company was also scrutinized which revealed that the unit has been inactive for a long and had illegally stored tipping paper and further pilfered to the tariff area without payment of duties and taxes.
Therefore, it was established that the investors a tobacco company, and the accused trading company in connivance with their customs agent smuggled the tipping paper to the tariff area causing serious financial loss amounting to Rs 25.75 million to the kitty. Consequent to the recovery, the case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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