Senate panel reviews theft of 2,828 cigarette cartons from FBR warehouse

A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Thursday reviewed the theft of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes from a warehouse used by the Federal Board of Revenue.

As per reports, the meeting, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, was briefed by officials from the Federal Investigation Agency and the FBR regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident.

FIA officials told the committee that drivers entering or exiting the warehouse are normally required to obtain official passes. However, on the day the cigarettes were removed, no pass had been issued to the driver involved.

They added that the shift in-charge responsible for overseeing operations at the warehouse was not present at the time of the transfer and that no formal entry or record of the movement was registered.

Investigators also informed the committee that no CCTV footage was available to review the incident.

FBR officials told the panel that the warehouse had been rented by the department and that surveillance cameras had not been installed at the facility.

They added that officers had been informed verbally about standard operating procedures related to warehouse operations.

FIA officials said statements of several officers whose names emerged during the investigation had already been recorded.