Customs officials have allegedly sold around 350 high-end smuggled and non-duty-paid (NDP) vehicles by fraudulently marking them as “auctioned” in the WeBOC system.
The Directorate General of Reforms & Automation (Customs), Karachi, uncovered the scam in a July 9 report sent to the Customs Operations Wing (COW). The report flagged data manipulation using official login credentials of Assistant and Deputy Collectors.
This allowed the illegal release of vehicles from customs premises without payment of duties and taxes.
Out of 1,900 vehicles reviewed, 350 luxury vehicles were never physically auctioned. Fake bidder information was inserted into the system to generate auction records and issue customs documents required for registration. These documents were then used to register the vehicles with provincial excise departments.
The scam was carried out in multiple phases over several months, involving coordination between customs officials, car dealers, and influential individuals.
No car has been seized due to the lack of a tracking mechanism and the vehicles’ legal registration status. One Deputy Collector has been suspended so far.
The Federal Board of Revenue has not officially commented. Systemic reform is needed before action is taken against dealers or buyers, many of whom may be unaware of the vehicles’ origins.
Stay Connected with ProPakistani
Get the latest business news, market insights, and economic updates wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.
Subhan Allah