Fraudsters attempting to evade nearly Rs170 million in taxes have been caught, and goods worth Rs2 billion have been seized at the Karachi terminal. A case has been registered against the accused for trying to clear the consignment using false information.
According to informed sources, a massive duty-evasion scheme worth crores of rupees has been uncovered in Karachi, revealing significant internal facilitation within Customs. Customs officials have exposed a large and organized network involved in smuggling and duty evasion of high-value auto parts and electronics. The network reportedly included not only the importer and clearing agent but also a Customs official who allegedly provided internal support. Due to timely action, the national treasury was saved from a loss exceeding Rs167 million.
The operation began when the Information Branch of the Customs Enforcement Collectorate received a secret tip. Under directives from Chief Collector Enforcement Basit Abbasi, Collector Moinuddin Wani, Additional Collector Yasir, and their team tracked a suspicious consignment and immediately blocked container OOLU1097085 at the Karachi International Container Terminal. The shipment was being cleared under GD No. KAPW-HC-81856 in the name of M/s Ansons Corporation, with importer Muhammad Arshad and clearing agent Muhammad Zaheer Akhtar, owner of Pakistan Shipping & Logistics. A Customs Preventive Officer, Mubashir Ali, was allegedly found involved in facilitating the fraud.
Documents falsely declared the goods as simple automotive bearings, weighing 21,345 kg with an estimated duty of around Rs10 million. However, when the Anti-Smuggling team conducted a full physical examination, they discovered thousands of high-value engine bearings, con rod bearings, thrust washers, cam bush, and pin bush—mostly of the Japanese brand Taiho—skillfully concealed in the container. Additionally, over 24,000 universal joints were hidden, along with 43 refurbished laptops, none of which were declared in the documents.
The actual weight of the container was found to be 24,570 kg, far higher than declared. The misdeclaration and concealment aimed to classify the goods under a lower-duty tariff code to evade massive taxes. Overall, the suspects attempted to evade Rs167.369 million in duties and taxes. The seized goods have an estimated total value of Rs1.93 billion.
According to sources, after completing the investigation, the Enforcement Wing has sent the case report to Appraisement West. An FIR (No. 16/25) has been registered, and efforts are underway to arrest the named suspects.
