FAISALABAD, July 13: Customs intelligence officials based here have unearthed a Rs30 million tax evasion scam, seized eight containers loaded with imported goods and registered cases against the accused.

Dawn learnt on Friday that a customs intelligence team raided a place in Karachi on a tip-off and seized containers loaded with imported packing material and other goods. The containers, some of them Faisalabad-bound, were taken from Port Qasim with the alleged involvement of some customs officials to evade customs duty on them.

Sources said that owners of these containers used no-objection certificates from the National Logistic Cell (NLC) and names of fake importers to get their imported goods released from the seaport.

In routine, all containers loaded with imported goods go from seaport to the dry port from where they are released on payment of various taxes, but in this case the containers did not reach the dry port here. The accused took their containers to a private place and in this way evaded customs duty on them.

Sources said the accused were selling these illegally imported goods in Lahore’s Shah Alam Market. They said that NLC officials denied issuing any no-objection certificates to the accused and added that investigations were in progress to see if some NLC officials were also involved in the scam.

A team of customs intelligence officials has been sent to Karachi to arrest the accused. According to the sources, preliminary investigation shows that Faisal Malik of Lahore got these containers released from the seaport.

Muhammad Asif, customs deputy director at the Faisalabad Dry Port, told Dawn that six cases had been registered against the accused and further investigation was underway. He said the accused could have evaded taxes of millions of rupees, as they had taken away 250 imported containers without paying taxes. He said that two people involved in the case had been arrested and others would be arrested soon. He said that investigation was in progress to see if customs officials were also involved in the scam.