The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has unearthed what it described as an “organised scam” in the import and clearance of a mobile phone through courier channels, directing the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to launch a sweeping investigation into the alleged involvement of FedEx, Customs officials, and private individuals — and to determine whether the fraud extends beyond a single case.
In a sharply worded order issued on Tuesday, FTO Zafar Hijazi observed that the case revealed a coordinated scheme through which a lawful consignee was deprived of his duty-paid iPhone 16 Plus for more than a year and a half, despite having paid all applicable taxes.
The matter came to light following a complaint filed by one Muhammad Nausherwan Khan, who stated that his sister in Canada had dispatched an iPhone 16 Plus to him via FedEx in December 2024. Upon the handset’s arrival in Karachi, Khan paid the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) tax amounting to Rs138,526. The phone, however, was never delivered to him. He later discovered that a forged authority letter had allegedly been used to release the device to another individual.
During proceedings, Customs authorities maintained that the mobile phone had been released after due verification of the original detention receipt, invoice, and other documents presented by a clearing agent. The Ombudsman, however, questioned why the complainant — whose name appeared as the consignee on the import documents — was denied possession despite having personally approached Customs officials.
The FTO’s examination revealed that while the consignee’s name remained unchanged in the tracking records and import documentation, the address and contact details had allegedly been substituted with those of another individual in the airway bill and invoice. Such manipulation, the Ombudsman noted, was “indicative of an organised scam” and said the modus operandi could not be dismissed as an isolated lapse.
Although the complainant subsequently informed the FTO that his individual grievance had been resolved, the Ombudsman declined to close the matter, ruling that the suspected scam warranted a thorough investigation in the public interest.
The FTO recommended that the FBR direct the Chief Collector of Customs (Airports) to initiate a targeted inquiry into FedEx, obtain courier import data spanning January 2025 to June 2026 to identify similar cases, investigate the alleged use of forged authority letters, examine the role of Customs officials who may have facilitated the fraud, and initiate legal and disciplinary proceedings where warranted.
In a further directive aimed at systemic reform, the Ombudsman also recommended the introduction of a uniform standard operating procedure for courier clearances at all international airports across the country.
The order marks one of the most significant interventions by the FTO in the courier clearance ecosystem, a channel increasingly used by overseas Pakistanis to send high-value goods to family members — and one that, if the Ombudsman’s findings are borne out, may have been compromised by precisely the officials entrusted with its oversight.
