Custom foils smuggling bids at Lahore airport

LAHORE: Custom officials at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore foiled a bid to smuggle expensive shawls by a woman, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, the Customs officials recovered 240 expensive shawls from the baggage of a woman during the checking process.

Deputy Collector of Custom Saqib Warraich said that a woman who travelled from a private airline flight from Dubai, PA-417, was caught red-handed at the Lahore airport while trying to smuggle shawls, made up of expensive and fancy material, in the country.

“The shawls recovered during the checking process worth upto Rs 1 million,” he said. The woman was later allowed to go after initial questioning.

Moreover, the Customs officials in a separate action today, seized smuggled items worth upto Rs 4 million at the Lahore airport from the baggage of two passengers. The items included non-custom-paid mobiles and other items.

They were travelling from Dubai to Lahore, the deputy collector of Customs said adding that the material was seized and a probe into the matter is underway.

In a somewhat similar incident, the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in March 2019 claimed to have seized three kilograms of heroin worth about Rs130 million from a passenger at Islamabad International Airport.

Read More: Woman caught trying to smuggle gold in her shoes

According to ANF officials, Kausar Younus, a British national, had concealed the drugs in three bags. Upon suspicion, they said, her luggage was checked, which led to the recovery of heroin in large quantity.

The woman was taken into custody and a case registered against her.