The police had set up a roadblock on the busy Quaid-e-Azam Road of the city when a vehicle saw the police roadblock and tried to change its route. (File photo: Reuters)
The police of Sindh’s Jacobabad city were on patrol outside of normal. At some places plainclothes personnel were also stationed, who were keeping an eye on the visitors.
The police had come to know from undercover sources that a gang selling and buying illegal mobile phones has become active in the country, and this time the gang has targeted small and large areas of Sindh.
The police had also received information that mobile phones worth lakhs of rupees were going to be delivered in Jacobabad and surrounding areas.
The police had set up a roadblock on the busy Quaid-e-Azam Road of the city when a vehicle saw the police roadblock and tried to change its route.
The police suspected that the sudden stop and change of direction of the vehicle was suspicious, on which the police force on the bridge tried to stop the vehicle.
The car rider tried to resist at first but stopped the car when he realized the police around him.
Police officers approached the driver after stopping the vehicle, and tried to find out the reasons for not stopping. The conversation with the driver was still going on when suddenly an official’s eyes fell on the goods kept in the car. When the policeman tried to get information about the goods, the driver became evasive.
The suspicion of the police was increasing. Police personnel on duty informed their senior officers that a suspicious vehicle had been intercepted on Quaid-e-Azam Road. The driver of the vehicle belongs to Sibi, Balochistan, and there are some suspicious items in the vehicle.
Senior police officers reached the spot and the vehicle was searched and mobile phones worth lakhs of rupees were recovered from the car which were illegally brought to Pakistan for sale.
According to SHO Police Station City Akbar Ali Khokhar, smugglers are now trying to bring mobile phones to Pakistan through other means, after the crackdown on bringing mobile phones to Pakistan by air.
He said that we had received information from secret sources that smugglers are now trying to target the market of Sindh cities. We blockaded it in time and recovered 800 mobile phones worth lakhs of rupees.‘
According to the police, among these mobile phones are 234 mobile phones of Nokia 105 model, 225 mobile phones of Nokia 106 model and 291 mobile phones of Nokia Golden model while 50 mobile phones of other brands are included. All these mobile phones have been brought to Pakistan through Balochistan without paying customs duty.
The police further said that the main accused involved in the smuggling, Javed Iqbal, son of Muhammad Iqbal Abro, who is a resident of Residency Road, Mohalla Ivan Kalat, Sibi Balochistan, has been arrested.‘
The police handed over all the recovered mobile phones and the vehicle to the customs authorities after legal action.
President of All Pakistan Mobile and Electronics Dealers Association, Minhaj Gulfaham, while talking to Urdu News, said, “We have ordered all the markets under our jurisdiction not to be part of any illegal activity.” If any shopkeeper is found involved in any illegal activity, the law will take action against him and the association will not defend the wrongdoing.‘
He said, ‘Similarly, we also expect our institutions not to disturb any shopkeeper unnecessarily.‘
Talking about the incident that happened in Jacobabad, Minhaj Gulfaham said, “There was an attempt to bring such mobile phones in Karachi some time ago, but we have restricted the markets so that anyone can harm the country.” Tax cannot allow to do their business, so all the shopkeepers should buy and sell mobile phones and electronic products in legal ways.‘
The President of All Pakistan Mobile and Electronics Dealers Association further said that the mobile phones that are being produced locally in Pakistan at the moment are reasonable in price and of better quality. Apart from this, there is no problem of PTA approval in these phones, so the vendors in the market are preferring to buy and sell these phones.
