LAHORE: Customs authorities have unearthed an alleged brazen case of container and cargo substitution during bonded transit from Port Qasim, Karachi, to Lahore, implicating an importer, a clearing agent, and a bonded carrier in what investigators describe as a willful scheme to remove dutiable goods from customs control without paying duty and taxes.
According to a formal complaint submitted by Inspector (I&P) Rao Kamran Nasir of the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement (East), Lahore, dated September 30, 2026, the scam came to light after a series of discrepancies were detected beginning with a seal mismatch at the Railway Dryport.
The complaint names M/s Green Pak Enterprises (importer), M/s EQA Corporation (clearing agent), and M/s Pak Shaheen Cargo Services (Pvt) Ltd. (bonded carrier) as the primary accused, alleging they acted “in connivance with each other and/or with other unknown persons” to effect or permit the substitution of the container and/or its bonded cargo while in transit under bond.
Timeline of Discovery
The case unfolded on September 22, 2026, when Inspector (Gate) M. Saleem Iqbal Manj endorsed the Transport Note recording a seal discrepancy, noting that “after the examination or otherwise at Karachi the shipper seal has been changed.” The same day, the office formally intimated the Directorate of Transit Trade (DTT) Headquarters, Karachi, seeking confirmation on whether the container had been examined at the Karachi end, along with the examination report and complete trip history.
On September 23, as no scanner was available at Railway Dryport, Customs Appraisement (West) at CFS NLC Dryport, Thokar Niaz Baig, was requested to scan the container. The container was gated in at NLC Dryport at 2215 hrs, and the scanned images, compared with the declaration, revealed a discrepancy in cargo.
The DTT Lahore deputed Mr. Kashif Ali, Superintendent (BS-16), and Mr. Muhammad Obaid Ullah, Inspector (BS-16), for a joint examination on September 24. The Director General of the Punjab Forensic Science Authority (PFSA) was also requested to depute a team to inspect the seals for signs of tampering.
Joint Examination Findings
A joint examination was conducted on September 25 at Mughalpura Dryport in the presence of the Collectorate, the Directorate of Transit Trade, and the PFSA team. The seal discrepancy was confirmed, and anomalies in packing and container number were additionally recorded. Both seals—Bolt-3652703 and 2919203—were removed in the presence of the PFSA team and forwarded for forensic analysis.
The findings revealed:
Seal discrepancy: The weight found (27,480 kg) tallied with the LDP weightment slip, an excess of approximately 210 kg over the 27.27 MT declared in the Transport Note. The Customs CCSU Bolt Seal No. 3652703 was found intact; however, against the shipper seal No. 026520 recorded in the Transport Note, seal No. 2919203 was found physically affixed on the container.
Anomaly in packing: Photographs from the Karachi examination, received via WhatsApp, showed goods packed in cartons. On examination at Lahore, the goods were found in the form of rolls of printed/mis-printed paper—consistent with the Transport Note description, but visibly different in packing from the Karachi photographs.
Anomaly in container number/identity: The container number and door visible in the Karachi examination photographs appeared different in marking and condition from the physical container lying in the Appraisement (East) yard at Lahore.
Photographic and Scan Evidence
A side-by-side comparison of Karachi (Port Qasim) and Lahore photographs revealed stark differences: the registration-number panel at Lahore sits on a fresh red overpaint band with bold lettering and a boxed check digit, against worn stencil lettering and an unboxed check digit at Karachi; the rating-plate lettering is crisp at Lahore and faded at Karachi; the Lahore door shows heavy rust pitting absent at Karachi; and the cargo differs entirely—cartons at Karachi against paper rolls at Lahore.
Significantly, the container number itself (INKU 651444-1) carries a valid ISO 6346 check digit on both, leading investigators to conclude the mismatch is “not a case of a mistyped number but is consistent with the number having been reproduced on a different, substitute container.”
Independently, the X-ray scan image obtained at Port Qasim on August 18, 2026, and the re-scan obtained at NLC Dryport on September 23/24, 2026, showed materially different cargo profiles for the container bearing the same number—further corroborating the finding.
Legal Action Sought
The complaint alleges that the accused committed offences of concealment and evasion punishable under the Customs Act, 1969. A complaint under Sections 32, 32A, 79 & 121 of the Customs Act, 1969, read with Rule 329, Chapter XIV & XXI, further read with S.R.O. 966(1)/2023 of Customs Rules 2001, punishable under Clauses 14, 14A, 43 & 63 of Section 156(I) of the Customs Act, 1969, has been submitted for registration of an FIR and initiation of legal and penal action against the accused and their owners/directors/partners/authorized representatives.
The complaint also seeks further investigation to identify the actual perpetrators and to trace and recover the substituted/diverted goods.
Forensic Report Awaited
The two seals removed during the joint examination have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Authority for examination, and their report is awaited. The same, on receipt, shall be made part of the record of investigation.
