A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Inside, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, on Monday took up the alleged theft of two,828 cartons of seized cigarettes value Rs. 250 million from warehouses of the Federal Board of Income (FBR), elevating critical considerations over the dealing with, storage, and oversight of confiscated items.
FBR officers instructed the panel that six vans carrying 1,262 cartons of cigarettes had been seized in Swabi on January 14, 2024. The committee questioned why the seized items had been later shifted to 2 separate warehouses.
Responding to queries from Senator Talha Mahmood, officers stated the products had been moved as a consequence of area constraints — 4 vans to at least one location and two to a different. Nonetheless, members expressed alarm that the cigarettes had been transferred from a monitored facility to a warehouse missing CCTV surveillance.
Officers admitted the disappearance of the cartons was solely found on Could 7, 2025, whereas an FIR was registered on Could 21, 2025, at Swabi Police Station earlier than the matter was referred to the FIA.
Senator Umar Farooq requested whether or not another objects had gone lacking. FBR officers replied within the destructive.
The committee was knowledgeable that three FBR officers have been dismissed and eight others transferred. Not one of the dismissed officers is at the moment in custody.
The panel additionally famous {that a} additional 20 cartons had been reportedly stolen in January 2026, regardless of the introduction of latest SOPs following the sooner incident.
FBR officers stated the seized items belonged to the “Paramount Kisan” model.
The committee was instructed {that a} Excessive Court docket had ordered a recent inquiry into the case. Following the court docket’s directives, the seized vans had been launched after fines had been imposed, whereas the cigarettes remained in official custody.
Terming the matter critical, the committee directed the FBR to submit, inside two days, full particulars of the case, data of all officers concerned, and a 10-year enforcement file of Customs and FBR actions associated to seized items.