Two Customs officers arrested for 'swapping' 400kg seized silver with lead

Pakistan Customs on Monday arrested two of its preventive officers for allegedly swapping 400 kilogrammes of seized silver bullion with lead during its transportation from Quetta to Lahore.

The officers had been officially tasked with transporting 688 kilogrammes of confiscated silver in 36 sealed boxes via Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from Quetta to the Pakistan Mint in Lahore, read a statement issued by the Customs.

The fraud surfaced when the consignment was opened at the Mint, where 400 kilogrammes of silver was found missing and replaced with lead bricks of identical weight and packaging.

CCTV footage obtained from Safe City Quetta confirmed the deliberate switching of the transportation vehicle carrying the original silver.

Following the discovery, a first information report (FIR) was registered and both officers were taken into custody, with legal proceedings underway.

Pakistan Customs reiterated its commitment to a zero-tolerance policy against misconduct within its ranks, vowing strict action in accordance with the law.