Customs officials raid artificial jewellery market

Traders term the action as illegal

KARACHI:

Customs officials raided the artificial jewellery market near Denso Hall while shopkeepers protested against the raid and engaged in a verbal dispute with the Customs team.

Customs officials carried out the raid at an artificial jewellery market near Denso Hall between Tuesday and Wednesday. The Customs officials confiscated a large number of goods. Traders, however, termed the action as illegal.

Many shopkeepers rushed to the spot and protested against the incident as soon as they received the report. The shopkeepers alleged that the customs officials demanded money from them, and upon their refusal to pay, they carried out raids. They told the officers that they had imported the goods for which they had all the relevant documents. They did raid the shops before, but they did not even spare the warehouses this time.

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The situation became tense for some time due to the raid. In this regard, the customs officials said they took action on the court orders. The traders showed the necessary documents for some goods, but they could not produce the records for all the goods. "We have confiscated some goods, but the goods will be returned to the vendors if the documents are submitted," the Customs officials said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2022.