Duty evasion of millions of rupees in importing high valued goods under cover of low valued material detected by Custom Officials of Dry Port (Mughalpura). The Custom Officials (I&P Cell) booked Merab Enterprises, Data systems Lahore, Positioning Systems Lahore for costing over Rs20.4 million to the national exchequer. Acting upon the information provided by Collector Customs Appraisement Lahore Jamil Nasir, Custom officials checked the consignment from Thailand and found under invoicing and the goods were wrongly declared and that PCT Heading was shown to import Satellite navigation and equipment. To import E-Satellite Navigation system, NOC from PEMRA and PTA is required. Customs authorities found that importers have declared the high valued goods like Satellite Navigation Equipment as common surveying instruments. According to another import policy rule for the import of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) only license holder companies of federal government are authorized. The said importer reportedly has established six companies on various names to import survey equipment. These include Data Systems, Public surveying Systems, I & E International, Public Drawing Stationary store, Positioning System and Surveying System. Syed Ahmed Waqar and Syed Hassan Waqar are real brothers while their father Syed Waqar Ashraf is the main contributor. Public Drawing and stationary is registered at the name of their grandfather Syed Ashraf Ali who has died 10 year back. Still the company is running under his name and his name is being used in banks and FBR. These companies import surveying instruments from Singapore, China, America, Italy and England and sell them in the local market. The high priced purchased through two different purchase orders by Data Systems and Positioning Systems was shown to be purchased from them by Meerab Enterprises in a very low price to avoid high slab of custom duty. On the basis of the information available with collector custom, when investigated, it was found that the invoice presented is fake and the three companies Meerab, Data Systems, and Positioning Systems already cleared three consignments through fake invoices costing huge losses to the national exchequer. Custom’s investigation and prosecution cell dry port, Mughalpura has lodged FIR against the three companies.
It is also revealed in the investigations that these companies are also involved in the money laundering and has sent a huge amount out of the country through 21 non-banking transactions.
