GILGIT, April 28: The Northern Areas police have asked the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) to open a customs checkpoint in the Northern Areas for levying customs duty on smuggled vehicles, official sources said.

The area has witnessed an influx of non-customs-paid vehicles which were smuggled into the region from parts of the NWFP, official sources said. The sources said at present there were over 3000 illegal vehicles plying in the region and they should be accorded legal status with the payment of customs duty.

They said these vehicles were plying without paying customs duty and should be brought under tax net. The local police have contacted the CBR officials to set up a checkpoint in the Northern Areas.

The police officials said it was essential to set up Customs offices to tax these illegal vehicles for they were being used for criminal activities and the police face great difficulty in tracing the vehicles and criminals.