PESHAWAR, June 26: The customs collectorate and police have developed differences over seized non-customs-paid vehicles in the province, sources say.

“Police impounded about 15 vehicles during the past few months. These vehicles have not been handed over to the customs department under the law,” said the sources. They said police were not authorised to impound such vehicles under the Customs Act, 1969.

“Even if they impound a vehicle, they are required to hand it over to the customs department immediately. But police have kept these vehicles under their personal or official use and have not informed the custom department,” said the sources.

The Central Board of Revenue had withdrawn the power of impounding the vehicles from police a few years ago, the sources said. They said police had got the impounded vehicles examined from the forensic science laboratory, which had declared that the duty on those vehicles had not been paid.

The matter came to the notice of the customs department when some owners informed it that they were ready to pay the penalty and duty to get their vehicles released. “The owners were ready to pay more than Rs100,000 duty and 30 per cent of the price as penalty,” the sources said. The department asked police to give it the vehicles so that they could be returned to the owners after the fulfilment of formalities.

“Police expressed willingness to return the vehicles but their condition was so bad that the owners refused to accept them,” said the sources, adding that a meeting between top officials of the two departments in this regard had remained fruitless.

The sources said some owners had also approached courts for the recovery of their vehicles.

The customs squad seized a non-customs-paid luxury four-wheel-drive vehicle in February near Sar Daryab in Charsadda district but the local SHO and other police officials rushed to the spot and took its possession, the sources said.

“The vehicle is being used by police in Charsadda and a letter sent in this connection to the district police officer has remained unanswered,” the sources said.

Customs officials said there were many other vehicles under personal use of policemen in different areas of the province.

“Police have no power to check vehicles for smuggling and seize non-customs-paid vehicles, but they are doing both,” said an official.

According to the Customs Act, 1969, police must hand over the contraband to the customs department immediately after seizure.