ISLAMABAD: The capital police on Friday impounded two sports utility vehicles (SUVs) allegedly owned by the company of former Ehtesab Bureau chairman Saifur Rehman.

A senior police officer told Dawn that the vehicles had no registration numbers and were found abandoned on Kuri Road.

An employee of the company later informed the police that the SUVs belonged to a Qatari royal family and were kept by the company for them to use during their stay in Pakistan.

The police impounded the vehicles on suspicion, the officer stated.

The two vehicles – a Land Cruiser and a Honda – were non-customs paid so the customs department were informed about it, the officer said.

After completing legal formalities, the police will hand over the vehicles to the customs authorities for establishing their ownership.

The officer said the two SUVs were found abandoned on Kuri Road by a police patrolling team. On suspicion, the police checked the vehicles and found them locked.

The patrolling staff then informed the senior officers and the area police who reached the spot and took the vehicles into their custody.

He said the Land Cruiser V7 and Honda could not be shifted through lifters so police guards were deployed there.

Later, a man telephoned the Banigala police and introduced himself as the manager of the Redco Company, which is owned by Mr Rehman.

He informed the police that the vehicles actually belonged to the Qatari embassy and were owned by the Qatari royal family.

On the direction of the police, the caller brought the keys of the vehicles after which they were shifted to the Banigala police station.

An official of the Customs Intelligence told Dawn that since 2012 at least 330 luxurious vehicles had been imported illegally under the cover of diplomatic immunity. Out of these, 50 vehicles were sent back while 280 vehicles were still in Pakistan, he added.

Out of the total 330 vehicles, 233 were brought to Pakistan for the Jassim family of a Middle East country and the remaining for another foreign royal member.

Such import of vehicles caused a loss of Rs4 billion to the national exchequer, said the official. The royal families used these vehicles during their hunting trips to Pakistan.

While leaving Pakistan they gave these vehicles to their friends, including businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians, the official stated.

Early this week, 21 such vehicles were recovered during a raid on a textile mill at Rawat, the official added. The mill was owned by Mr Rehman.

Recently, the customs intelligence also recovered two Mercedes abandoned at Banigala.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2018