The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) following the disappearance of 2,828 cartons of confiscated cigarettes, valued at approximately Rs 25 crore from official state warehouses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to media reports.
The FIR lodged by the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad, names five Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials and three executives of Paramount Company.
According to official documents, the missing stock was traced back to the FBR’s Qasim Pulla warehouse in District Swabi.
The named FBR employees include Inspectors Kamran and Naveed, driver Aftab Hussain, security guard Qazi Ammad (also cited as Qazi Amjad), and Naib Qasid Sajjad Ali.
The private sector figures cited are Paramount Company directors Saqib Ali Khan and Fida, alongside manager Owais Qureshi.
The case originated in February 2024 when 1,262 cartons of Kissan-brand cigarettes were caught in Chota Lahore, Swabi, and moved to an FBR warehouse in Mardan.
In April 2024, when transferring stock to Swabi, officials discovered 908 cartons were missing. Although 907 cartons were recovered in May 2024 from Doulatabad Mankai, no corresponding records were logged in the official stock register.
A routine inspection in May 2025 subsequently confirmed the total loss of 2,828 cartons.
An inquiry conducted by the FIA revealed systemic failures and intentional omissions at the storage facilities, including an absence of official logbooks, stock registers, handling protocols, and operational CCTV cameras.
Investigators determined that the loss resulted from criminal misconduct, embezzlement, and official connivance rather than simple theft.
Charges have been filed under Sections 409 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), alongside Section 5(2)47 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The FIA stated that further investigations will determine whether additional senior officials, including Deputy Commissioners (DC), were involved.
