Karachi Airport Scam: Ground-Handling Company Colludes with Importers to Smuggle Electronics
Major Breakthrough: FBR Busts Illegal Electronics Removal Ring, Recovers Seized Goods Worth Millions
Massive Customs Fraud – In a significant enforcement breakthrough, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has uncovered a massive fraud operation at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. The elaborate scam involved the illegal removal of high-value electronic consignments without the required Goods Declarations (GDs) being filed or customs duties and taxes being paid, costing the national exchequer hundreds of millions.
The fraudulent scheme was orchestrated by employees of a foreign-based ground-handling company, which also served as the custodian of the goods, acting in collusion with unscrupulous importers. The culprits used fake and forged documents, issued by company employees, to illicitly move electronic goods worth hundreds of millions from the airport. This audacious fraud came to light following credible intelligence, which prompted immediate action to bolster controls at Karachi Airport.
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This timely intervention led to the seizure of a consignment valued at Rs. 103 million, containing laptops, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, PlayStations, and memory cards, before it could be smuggled out. Additionally, two other consignments were found to have been fraudulently cleared using fake gate passes. The Collectorate of Customs Airport Karachi swiftly lodged two First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested the involved company employees.
Subsequent investigations have confirmed that a total of five consignments were illegally removed through this fraudulent modus operandi. All these shipments originated from the UAE, sent by M/s Pir Jillani General Trading LLC, Dubai. The consignments, packed in two pallets weighing between 900–1000 kg each, were deliberately concealed from the Customs WeBOC system to prevent GD filings, thereby enabling their clearance with fake gate passes.
The total estimated value of evaded duty and taxes for these five illegal removals stands at Rs. 384 million. Customs investigators also highlighted the foreign company’s persistent refusal to provide crucial CCTV footage and records, raising serious suspicions of complicity at a senior management level. With FIRs lodged and arrests made, efforts are now underway to recover the evaded amounts, with the FBR vowing to pursue further FIRs and arrests to recover every penny lost. Chairman FBR and Member Customs have stressed that no leniency will be shown to custodians and customs functionaries who fail in their duty, affirming the FBR’s resolve to protect national revenue and restore public trust.
