In a bid to thwart the smuggling of expensive phones in the country, Pakistan Customs Department has arrested a family at the Jinnah International Airport terminal who reached Karachi after performing Umrah via a connecting flight from Dubai, PA-417.
Acting vigilantly on the tip-off, the collectorate stopped some of the passengers and scanned their luggage which had empty boxes of cell phones. The passengers could not provide any satisfactory answers and this led to a body search. Police then found 51 expensive iPhones they had tied around their waist and legs near the ankles. The recovered iPhones include 25 units of 15 ProMax 12 units of 14 ProMax, 14 units of 11 Promax and 12 units of ProMax. The value of these mobile sets is estimated to be around Rs27.6 million. Taxes of Rs8.8 million could be evaded by smuggling the phones into the country.
The collector informed the media that smugglers have now started to take advantage of the facility of faster airport arrival services for Umrah pilgrims. These groups entice pilgrims to bring up to 10 iPhones for which they are offered cheap tickets and money.
Remand was obtained for the family of three and a case has been registered against them under the Customs Act .
