SHC grants bail to accused in 500kg silver smuggling case

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted bail to three accused in the 500-kilogram silver smuggling case, ARY News reported on Monday.

Accused Tauqeer Ahmed, Zeeshan Shah and Muhammad Irfan had challenged the decision of special court that had rejected their bail pleas.

During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that customs officials carried out the operation without obtaining a search warrant. He maintained that the accused have been involved in the gold and silver trade since 1998 and that the seized silver belonged to multiple clients and was being held for processing purposes.

The SHC ordered each of the accused to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 for their release.

On the other hand, the prosecution stated that the search was conducted in an emergency situation, which did not allow time to obtain a warrant. It further argued that the silver was scheduled to be moved to another location later that night.

After hearing both sides, the court observed that the case involved multiple complexities and required further detailed investigation before a final determination could be made.

Read more: Pakistan Customs foils Rs66.9 mln worth silver smuggling attempt

Separately in 2025, Pakistan Customs officials foiled an attempt to smuggle silver into Pakistan through International Mail Office (IMO) at Jinnah International Airport.

During a detailed inspection of international parcels, the Pakistan Customs team recovered 79.18 kilograms of silver jewellery concealed in three separate consignments, with an estimated value of Rs66.9 million.

The parcels were declared as fashion jewellery and were shipped from Hong Kong to a consignee based in Rawalpindi.

Owing to strict surveillance measures at the International Mail Office in Karachi, the smuggled items were identified and seized in accordance with the law before reaching their intended destination.

Pakistan Customs officials noted that the recent surge in silver prices has led to an increase in smuggling attempts across Pakistan. However, this case marks the first instance in which such a large quantity of silver has been intercepted through the international mail system.