SARGODHA, Oct 26: The district has become home to the sale of smuggled goods, which are being brought by trains, especially the Chenab Express, coming to Karachi from Peshawar.

Information gleaned by Dawn revealed on Saturday that the employees of the railways, including police and the supervisory staff, and the Customs were hand in glove in facilitating smuggling of the foreign made goods to the district.

According to a local trader, the government has been suffering a loss of millions of rupees because of the Customs’ officials malpractice.

Requesting anonymity, he disclosed that not only electronics and other foreign goods, but also drugs were being smuggled to Sargodha from Peshawar. Some bus drivers were also involved in smuggling with the support of the Customs and the police officials.

Meanwhile, the railways authorities have received complaints that some officials stop the Chenab Express daily for 15 to 20 minutes at a deserted railway station called Ajnala and Mitha Luk, where an ordinary passenger train is not allowed to stop for more than a minute.

When this correspondent contacted the railways officials and police, they denied the charges of their involvement in smuggling. However, they did not comment on the issue of the train’s stopover at the deserted railway station.

The Customs officials also denied the allegations, insisting that they were committed to checking smuggling of foreign manufactured articles.

Mr Asif Hargan, an assistant collector, told newsmen that he led a team of the railways police to search various bogies of the Chenab Express and found smuggled goods, including television and telephone sets, woollen jerseys, wrist watches and cameras worth around Rs2 million. He claimed to have seized the goods.

He pointed out that smuggling was being done with the help of the Chenab Express booking staff and vendors.

To a question on the flood of smuggled goods in the local markets, he did not come up with a convincing response.

During a survey of the baara market, it was learnt that more than 80 per cent foreign goods had been smuggled and were being sold without warranty. There is also no check on the sale of these products.

A shopkeeper, who wanted not to be named, disclosed that some people, including the officials of the railways and Customs, and Afghans, who had got citizenship of Pakistan by spending huge amounts, were active in the illegal practice.

He alleged that the Customs officials seized the brand new smuggled goods and sell these at throwaway prices with the understanding of the department’s higher-ups. He said, “the officials sometimes receive smuggled goods conveniently in Lahore.”

It was also revealed that the night coaches were frequently used for this business.

A hawker working at a general bus stand, Peshawar terminal, when contacted, offered this correspondent transportation of electronics through a driver. He, however, demanded extra money according to the weight of the goods.

He also offered purchase of goods from Peshawar, saying if their cost exceeded Rs10,000, the Customs and police officials would demand their share of Rs2,000.