GILGIT: The Pakistan Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle over 15,465 mobile phones, mostly Android, worth Rs446 million from China to Pakistan through the Khunjerab Pass border crossing.

The mobile phones and other goods have been seized and a smuggling case has been registered.

According to the incident a report submitted to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Pakistan Customs officials on the Sost Dry Port had received information that a truck number GLTE 1257 loaded with smuggled mobile phones and other valuable goods has crossed into Pakistan from China through the Khunjerab Pass border and the truck is parked on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) near Dehi area of Khunjerab Pass, possibly waiting for goods to be offloaded at night.

The report said that Assistant Collector of Customs of Sost Dry Port Imtiaz Shigri sent a Customs team to inspect the parked truck at Barkhoon near Dehi which found the truck parked on the roadside with no one around.

Over 8,300 smart phones and 7,100 bar phones and non-duty paid goods found in truck

On inquiry from the area people the team was informed that an unknown person had parked the truck stating that the vehicle has developed some mechanical fault which needs to be fixed by a mechanic.

The team brought the truck to the Sost Dry Port and handed it over to the port/terminal officials for safekeeping and custody.

Since nobody came to claim ownership of the vehicle and the goods kept in it, a notice was issued through the notice board at Sost Dry Port as well as Baggage Section to the unknown importer to submit documents of the truck with Customs Office within 15 days from the issuance of the notice, failing which the department will take necessary action as per law.

The office did not receive any response to the notice and upon the expiry of the notice period, the Assistant Collector of Sost Dry Port constituted another team for physical examination of the goods loaded on the vehicle.

The team’s report said that upon inspection/checking of the goods retrieved from the intercepted vehicle, a total of 15,465 mobile phones including 8,365 smartphones (iPhone, Oppo, Vivo, One-Plus, etc.) and 7,100 bar phones, and other non-duty paid goods were found. The total market price of these goods is estimated at Rs446 million. The goods have been seized by Pakistan Customs.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2024