MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): In a troubling revelation, Azad Kashmir Police and Excise officials were accused of secretly releasing a truck carrying over Rs25 million worth of non-custom paid cigarettes, facilitating the smuggling bid.
According to sources, the truck was stopped by police at the Kohala checkpoint while en route to Muzaffarabad. Upon inspection, the vehicle was found to be loaded with non-duty-paid cigarettes from the brand Chase.
Following standard procedure, the truck was held at the checkpoint before being taken into custody by the Chattar Kalas Police Station.
Excise officials posted at the Kohala check post were summoned for further investigation. However, instead of following through with legal action, the truck was quietly released during the night.
Sources told Kashmir Digital that SHO Chattar Kalas Police Station and the Excise officer negotiated a deal and received Rs300,000 and Rs50,000, respectively, to allow the truck to leave.
Vehicle number LEI 6561, carrying 200 cartons of “Chase” brand cigarettes, was identified during the incident.
Kashmir Digital made several attempts to contact SHO Shaukat Jameel for comment on the matter, but calls to his number went unanswered.
The outrage over this cigarette smuggling case is high, as buying fake goods in Muzaffarabad continues to become more common. In previous years, fake medicines were sold in the city, and some people ended up dying because of them.
In recent years, more and more illegal cigarettes are sneaking, increasing the risk of diseases of the lungs and throat.
