The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday announced it had unearthed a large-scale customs fraud at Karachi airport, involving employees of a foreign ground-handling company and importers accused of smuggling out high-value electronics without paying duties and taxes.
According to the FBR, authorities seized a consignment valued at Rs103 million, which included laptops, iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, PlayStations, and memory cards.
Investigations revealed that five consignments registered to a Dubai-based company were illicitly cleared using fake gate passes while being concealed from the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) system. The scheme led to an estimated duty and tax evasion of Rs384 million.
“Two first information reports (FIRs) have been lodged, employees arrested, and further arrests are expected,” the FBR said, adding that negligent customs officials would not be spared. The statement stressed that the operation reflected the agency’s “commitment to safeguarding national revenue.”
The crackdown is part of a wider FBR campaign against tax evasion and smuggling at ports and airports across the country. Last month, the authority also launched a “Lifestyle Monitoring Cell” with 40 investigators to monitor Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for signs of undeclared wealth and tax evasion.
