UAE cargo handler under fire for alleged Rs. 1
billion theft at Karachi airport
A UAE-based cargo handling company
operating at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport is under investigation for
allegedly orchestrating a massive theft of imported goods worth over Rs 1
billion from customs custody over the past 18 months. Authorities are examining
possible collusion with customs officials.
The Customs Collectorate Airport has
filed two FIRs against staff members of the company. One female employee has
been arrested, while a male staff member remains at large.
According to investigators, the
operation involved illegally removing high-value goods and delivering them to
operators of “ghost companies” without paying required duties and taxes, dating
back to March 2024.
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“So far, six consignments have been identified as removed from the company’s warehouse using forged documentation,” customs officials revealed. The stolen goods primarily include electronics, though the full extent of the inventory remains under investigation.
The scheme reportedly used fake
Goods Declaration (GD) numbers lifted from legitimately cleared shipments. In
one case, GD number KAPF-HC 61625, issued for a pharmaceutical import cleared
in April 2025, was duplicated to smuggle goods. Another forged GD
(KPAF-HC-62714) was similarly misused.
These consignments, associated with
ghost companies, were illegally removed while remaining “un-cleared” in customs
records. Sources questioned how such operations remained undetected for 18
months, suggesting possible complicity of customs personnel.
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The Customs Collectorate has named the UAE cargo handler, importers, and unidentified accomplices in its FIRs. This incident follows previous reports of similar thefts at Karachi Airport, including large-scale removal of expensive mobile phones, raising ongoing concerns about security and oversight at the facility.
Source: Business Recorder