PIA sacks steward for trying to smuggle mobile phones from UK

E-Paper | February 23, 2026

KARACHI: The management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Tuesday terminated the service of a flight steward who was caught by United Kingdom authorities at the Heathrow airport while trying to smuggle mobile phones through a PIA flight on Monday afternoon.

According to a PIA’s press release, flight steward Khurrum Shehzad was caught at the airport while he was boarding the flight PK 786 for Islamabad.

Sources said that Khurrum was arrested by UK authorities at the airport and after an overnight investigation he was released on Tuesday noon.

Know more: PIA sacks five crew members 'questioned' by London authority

Responding to Dawn queries, PIA spokesperson Aamir Memon said that the flight steward was on duty. During checking at the airport three mobile phones were found in his possession.

One of the mobile phones was allegedly a stolen one.

He said PIA had zero tolerance for corruption and illegal activities.

To a question if UK authorities would take any action against PIA in this regard, he said PIA had already informed UK authorities that it did not support illegal acts of its employees and such acts were an individual’s responsibility.

PIA had taken stern action against its employees whenever they were found involved in illegal activities, the spokesperson added.

The sources said that this was not the first time that PIA staffers had been caught for smuggling of electronics items, particularly mobile phones in foreign countries.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2015

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PinDrop

Sep 23, 2015 06:49am

Brining in three mobile phones = smuggling? He was coming back so technically smuggling would be in Pakistan after arriving on a Pakistani airport and trying to get the mobiles in without paying duty. I think London authorities were more concerned for the stolen phone than 'smuggling' phones 'out' of country

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haider

Sep 23, 2015 06:51am

PM should take notice and make a committee Rana Sanaullah should be head of the committee to make sure its not a land dispute between PIA and the authorities in the UK

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Naser

Sep 23, 2015 06:51am

no words to describe my feelings!

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Ash

Sep 23, 2015 06:53am

3 mobile phones ? PIA surely has very strict policy on carrying no. of mobile phones. I often carry 3 mobile phones....can't travel by PIA then

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ratan mia

Sep 23, 2015 06:54am

Really bad state of morale, are they really paid low? or fascination for imported phones, we can buy all imports in Karachi/Lahore, why smuggle?

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Shaukat

Sep 23, 2015 06:59am

Why termination for only 3 cell phones? I carry 2 sometime 3 cell wherever I go, I think that's not a big deal there must be some other problem. Is that illegal to carry more than 1 cell for personal use?

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Shaukat

Sep 23, 2015 07:00am

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Shahid Akbar, New York

Sep 23, 2015 07:01am

Ah! one more PIA story for the record.

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Bitter truth

Sep 23, 2015 07:09am

As much as smuggling is wrong, sometimes people in third world countries like Pakistan choose this option to make some extra cash.

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Irfan

Sep 23, 2015 07:10am

Zero tolerance! Really?

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A. Mangal

Sep 23, 2015 07:18am

Aside from phone bought was a stolen one which needs to be fully investigated, however possessing three cell phones is illegal? The word "smuggling" is typical third world vocabulary! It's not banned item there or elsewhere for that matter. It is profusely used and possessed throughout the globe. It appears, the term and meaning of free enterprise hasn't reached to these part of the world! Should UK wants to address evil of the society, it should be "usury" which needs to be looked at as evil business practice making even countries bankrupt, not possessing three cell phones per se!

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Abdulla Hussain

Sep 23, 2015 07:19am

3 Mobiles, may be he has purchased these for his use of to gift to someone. Unless some strict law is there, 3 mobile phones cannot be branded as smuggling. PIA should also show zero tolerance for in house corruption by big & small alike, wishful thinking isn't it.

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Abdul Malik

Sep 23, 2015 07:37am

@PinDrop Yes, I agree

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rish

Sep 23, 2015 07:45am

@ratan mia , how do you think you get all these imported things in Karachi and Lahore? It is the airline workers who bring these items in and then sell them in the local market.

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ZAK

Sep 23, 2015 07:54am

It just doesn't sound right, he must been disliked by someone in the crew.

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NASR

Sep 23, 2015 08:43am

What is the use of reporting a crime which is being committed for years now. Since for at least last 40 year I am coming across it in the news. Did we found a solution? Did it stopped? Were we able to or tried to stop it. Greed will kill us.

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Rahul

Sep 23, 2015 08:43am

@Shaukat - you probably didn't read the whole thing. One of the phones was stolen.

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NASR

Sep 23, 2015 08:44am

@Ash He was found with one stolen phone.

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Bye Bye

Sep 23, 2015 08:54am

A rookie smuggler.

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rich

Sep 23, 2015 08:56am

it has to do with the stolen mobile, not smuggling, I have brought 4 mobiles at a time to gift my family, no issue, had receipt for the same from the showroom I purchased them from in Mumbai I hardly paid any customs as they were not exp models

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vivek

Sep 23, 2015 09:01am

@Ash Sure all the SIM cards must be in your name and by going through the serial no it will be clear where actually its sold

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usman

Sep 23, 2015 09:12am

obviously if you are going to hire them on reference and connections, this would happen, hire graduates on merit to avoid these things

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Karachi Wala

Sep 23, 2015 09:46am

He was sacked because, he was carrying only 3 phones with him. The proceeds from the sale of these phones will be peanuts and as a result, management will not get a fair share. Khurram! had you followed the foot steps of your seniors and peers i.e. carrying bag full of mobiles and stolen items from duty free shops, you would have been awarded a token punishment!

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Shehzad Zafar

Sep 23, 2015 09:54am

@PinDrop If you buy a second hand phone from London then how can you check that its stolen or not?

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Hasnain

Sep 23, 2015 10:03am

The Steward did his share of corruption following his seniors in the Airline.Why doesn't PIA dig and uncovers the corruption of their Station Managers posted in Saudi Arabia ,UK and USA.

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Sikander

Sep 23, 2015 10:08am

Zero tolerance what a joke :)

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SSH

Sep 23, 2015 10:11am

When a Flight Attendant is on duty, he/she has a limit on allowance which can be carried in terms of currency/products/items etc. When not on duty, you may bring in as much as is allowed to any passenger.

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Sep 23, 2015 10:37am

Carrying 3 cellphones is smuggling? I cannot believe it. Many people have 3 cellphones and they travel with them all the time. If the steward was carrying 3 cell phones, it is his personal business and not smuggling by any means. PIA should be concerned about millions of rupees of corruption with in the airline as opposed to terminating employees for carrying cellphones.

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Merchant

Sep 23, 2015 10:49am

Zero tolerance for corruption!!! If that was the case then more than half of the PIA staff would be sacked due to the way they were appointed in the first place by corrupt politicians. Appointment based on corruption ends in more corruption.

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Adnan

Sep 23, 2015 10:53am

PIA had zero tolerance for corruption and illegal activities. I am surprised.

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nadeem

Sep 23, 2015 10:59am

@PinDrop Probably Steward was not authorized to shop mobile phones but to perform his duty.

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Muhammad Ramzan

Sep 23, 2015 11:05am

Its not surprising for us that stewards caught red handed but actually, most of PIA stewards are busy in such activities. specially, they are bringing many smarts from European countries. Its PIA responsibility to keep eye on her employees.

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IBN E ASHFAQUE

Sep 23, 2015 12:14pm

PIA had zero tolerance for corruption and illegal activities. The real truth in PIA........these are golden words..............of truth.....

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Skeptic

Sep 23, 2015 12:27pm

"PIA had zero tolerance for corruption"..... Now, that is news indeed!

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sialkoti

Sep 23, 2015 12:27pm

weirddd...i can understand about stealing someone's cell phone but having 3 cell phones in your pocket is a crime? a real slim shady smuggler :)

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Shakil Ahmed Khan

Sep 23, 2015 01:43pm

PIA staff fly high and dry! so they try to make money on the side by taking orders for local demands from abroad. Its not limited to mobile phones though these are easier to take, full UK priced mobile doesnt make much sense to import to Pakistan so that where they turn to grey market of stolen phones that cant be used in UK once reported stolen but can be used in other countries. Pakistan mobile operators should connect to international stolen registers and ban such mobiles too. This will discourage such practice.

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Shakil Ahmed Khan

Sep 23, 2015 01:46pm

Its not three mobiles he was carrying, its the stolen phone he was carrying thats an issue! Handeling stolen phones in UK is a crime! any phone reported stolen is barred from all networks in UK so its unuseable in UK, hence sold at lower prices by gangs.

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Sep 23, 2015 01:48pm

Wasn't aware that carrying 3 mobile phones makes it smuggling..!

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afridi fan

Sep 23, 2015 02:14pm

home come they know that one of them was stolen?

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saj

Sep 23, 2015 02:22pm

@Ash Stolen ones too?.

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Shahzad

Sep 23, 2015 03:18pm

Just three phones? That is not smuggling. Snuggling is those 100s of BMWs.

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Imran

Sep 23, 2015 03:55pm

This seems to be blown out of proportion. If the phone is stolen, there is no way for a person to know unless he stole it. I think this poor sap was sold a stolen phone for cheap and he payed a big price for it. The steward seems more like a simpleton from this story than a smuggler.

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Saifqureshi

Sep 23, 2015 05:03pm

@usman my man we need graduate good people and good family back ground These conection apoiments are destroying our country Long live PAKISTAN

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basir nasim

Sep 23, 2015 10:25pm

why by UK authorities? there should be some PIA internal system of checking its staff. But the fact of the matter is that PIA is mostly in the hands of incompetent, selfish,corrupt and dishonest people. Their dealing with passengers, services, food etc every thing has deteriorated drastically.It needs complete overhauling.

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Sep 23, 2015 10:29pm

Ok maybe it makes sense to go after small fish from time to time. But what about the big sharks at the top with insatiable appetites? Will we ever see action against them or should we just dream on?

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khan

Sep 24, 2015 07:22pm

@Shaukat if you carry one or more cell phone in the UK which is stolen then you see how you will get arrested very quickly UK every system is not that foolish and corrupt like Pakistan every person every item every action is monitored assessed detected apprehended and for any wrong doing you will be prosecuted .Handling or receiving stolen goods is a serious criminal offence and The Steward could not resist buying a stolen cell phone so cheap so he deserved what he got.

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