ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a scam, the customs intelligence has seized more than 7,000 bottles of ‘smuggled’ liquor worth millions of rupees.

Customs intelligence officials said that in order to evade payment of duty and taxes the importer had declared price of each bottle at 92 cents, including the cost of freight and insurance.

The remarkably low price alerted the customs intelligence which seized a container at Islamabad Dry Port recently.

It was imported by M/s Duty Free Diplomatic Bonded Warehouse under the privileged class scheme.

The landed cost of 7,200 bottles of various brands was declared at $6,650 (Rs700,000 approximately), much lower than their market value calculated by customs officials at Rs25 million.

Local market value of each bottle ranges between Rs2,500 and Rs4,000, but the importer has declared the value of each bottle at Rs150 or less than that.

The government allows duty free import of liquor for diplomatic missions on the basis of their quota determined by the Foreign Office.