Tag: Illegal.

  • Punjab police seizes 1.3 million litres of illegally hoarded petrol in a crackdown

    Punjab police seizes 1.3 million litres of illegally hoarded petrol in a crackdown

    Pursuant to the warning issued by Petroleum Minister Dr Musadik Malik, the Punjab police initiated a crackdown against individuals engaged in the illicit stockpiling of petrol and diesel in several areas of the province, including Sheikhupura, Patoki, and Daska.

    The Inspector General of Punjab issued directives for strict enforcement against such practices and instructed that decisive action be taken against those found to be responsible.

    In accordance with the directives, police teams conducted raids on multiple fuel stations in Sheikhupura and Patoki, resulting in the recovery of over 1.3 million litres of petrol that had been illegally stockpiled by mafias. The contraband was found stored in underground tanks in warehouses, and over a dozen containers filled with gasoline were also seized.

    The District Police Officer, Zahid Marwat, reported that the value of the recovered gasoline exceeds 300 million rupees. He further stated that appropriate legal action, including the filing of charges, will be taken against those found to be responsible for the hoarding of fuel.

    On Wednesday, Minister of State for Petroleum, Musadik Malik, dispelled all rumors of a shortage of petroleum products in the country.

    According to ARY News, during a press conference held in Islamabad, the state minister stated that Pakistan has an ample supply of both diesel and gasoline. He issued a warning to those engaged in hoarding, stating that the government will revoke licenses for those found to be artificially creating a shortage of these products.

    The minister also sought to dispel any notion that the government is responsible for increasing the prices of petroleum products.

  • Govt retrieves precious property worth Rs23 billion from illegal occupants

    Govt retrieves precious property worth Rs23 billion from illegal occupants

    The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has retrieved more than 3,500 acres of property worth Rs23 billion from illegal occupants, along with Rs650 million in rent arrears.

    This was revealed during the press conference alongside the ETPB chairman by Dr Shoaib Suddle, the chairman of the One Man Commission, according to The News. He claimed that in accordance with the Supreme Court’s instructions, a forensic audit of the trust board was carried out. Based on the audit’s findings, a plan of action was decided with the help of the ETPB and FIA.

    He said that the department’s revenue will increase as a result of the chairman board’s use of contemporary systems including the online billing system, complaints, geo-tagging, and e-office.

    The department had disposed of valuable trust land/property worth billions of rupees with the aid of FIA, the biggest undertaking in the board’s history to date, the ETPB chairman told the media representatives.

    In response to a query, he stated that various review sessions are held with the Trust Board and the FIA in accordance with the directives of the One-Man Commission, during which the action plan is formally implemented. Temples and Gurdwaras that are still in use have been renovated, and security measures have been improved.

  • Bentley Mulsanne stolen from London, recovered in DHA Karachi with a Sindh license plate

    Bentley Mulsanne stolen from London, recovered in DHA Karachi with a Sindh license plate

    A Bentley Mulsanne that was stolen from London, United Kingdom (UK), has been recovered by the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement (CCE) in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi.

    According to Geo, the British intelligence agency reportedly informed the CCE, Karachi, through reliable sources that a grey Bentley Mulsanne, V8 Automatic, with the VIN numbers SCBBA63Y7FC001375 and CKB304693, which was stolen from London, was parked in DHA, Karachi.

    The conduct of the nation’s various agencies has been under intense scrutiny following an extraordinary incident in which a stolen car from London was found in Karachi thanks to information provided by the UK intelligence agency.

    To check the accuracy of the report, the CCE team has mounted strict monitoring at the mentioned place. The car that was discovered parked within the house’s car porch was found during a physical search by the department.

    When the light grey fabric was removed, a grey Bentley Mulsanne with the Pakistani registration number BRS-279(2020 Sindh) was discovered at the back of the vehicle, and a white handcrafted number plate with the letters BRS-279 was discovered at the front.

    The vehicle’s chassis number, however, matched the information provided about the stolen car. As a result, the department has detained the owner and the car for additional inquiry.

    The vehicle’s owner revealed during the opening stages of the investigation that another person had sold the vehicle to him and had taken full responsibility for obtaining the necessary clearances from the relevant authorities.

    On the basis of his information, the department also detained the individual who identified himself as a broker and revealed the identity of the primary offender, who is still at large.

    The registration of such a pricey vehicle required NOC from Pakistan Customs, receipt of duty and tax payments, and selling approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to sources in the customs department.

    Surprisingly, the Sindh Excise and Taxation department registered this stolen car without following all the legal procedures, proving that Sindh Excise officers were involved in these illegal acts.

    The case has been filed, and further investigation is being conducted to bring the guilty parties to justice.

  • Twitter accused of profiting from leaking users’ private information

    Twitter accused of profiting from leaking users’ private information

    Twitter is allegedly giving user email addresses and phone numbers to marketers without their permission, which has put the social media giant in more legal trouble.

    The business admitted in 2019 that it may have utilised the personal data customers provided in exchange for a security feature for targeted advertising.

    Two Twitter users filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the social media platform on Thursday in a federal court in Northern California. Billy Moses and Christina McClellan, both of Texas, claim in the 38-page complaint that they would not have given Twitter their phone numbers and email addresses if they had known that the firm would utilise the information for targeted advertising.

    According to CNET, the lawsuit is the most recent repercussion Twitter is facing because of purported privacy infractions. Twitter reportedly violated the Federal Trade Commission Act and a 2011 FTC order by misrepresenting how it will use nonpublic user contact information, and in May, Twitter agreed to pay a $150 million fine.

    Users of Twitter have filed lawsuits against the social media site for violating their privacy in other jurisdictions, including Washington.

    Twitter urged users to enter their phone numbers and email addresses for two-factor authentication, an additional security measure, but failed to disclose that the information would be used for targeted advertising.

    Because marketers could utilise emails and phone numbers to determine a potential customer’s identity and learn about where they reside, what items they buy, where they shop, and other useful information, the lawsuit claims that Twitter made money off of this data without user consent.

    Due to the possibility of using phone numbers and email addresses to identify a person, there are additional hazards associated with their disclosure. According to the lawsuit, hackers may attempt to access a user’s social media accounts through email or gather other data in order to commit identity theft.

    Additionally, the corporation is said to have broken both its agreement with users and California’s Unfair Competition Law. At the time, Twitter’s privacy policy stated that while it doesn’t provide its partners access to user information like email addresses and phone numbers, it may link the data it supplies to other data if a user gives their approval to that partner.

  • Pakistan Customs seizes a massive amount of methamphetamine and illegal goods

    Pakistan Customs seizes a massive amount of methamphetamine and illegal goods

    Pakistan customs department has seized illegal goods worth approximately Rs60 million in separate incidents over the past week, indicating that the campaign against the smuggling of contraband goods into and out of Pakistan is in full swing.

    The Exports Collectorate prevented an attempt to smuggle a sizable amount of drugs into Australia. The Exports Examination-PICT team has made a drug seizure of 47 kilogrammes of ice. Officials reported that Fida Hussain, a suspect, was detained by Customs authorities after they registered a case, according to Express Tribune.

    The Enforcement Collectorate Karachi team reportedly stopped two oil tankers close to the Mochko checkpoint and found 30,000 liters of Iranian diesel that had been smuggled. The seized tankers and smuggled diesel are estimated to be worth a total of Rs27.5 million.

    Another incident involved a trailer truck that was loaded with urea and was headed for Karachi when it was illegally crossed into Balochistan by the Enforcement Karachi at the Mochko checkpoint.

    Deputy Commissioner Keamari has received the truck and seized urea for further legal action. The truck hauling urea is estimated to be worth Rs29 million.

  • PTA temporarily unblocks non-compliant smartphones

    PTA temporarily unblocks non-compliant smartphones

    A number of Pakistani users have regained cellular connectivity on smartphones that are not PTA compliant. This led many customers and sellers to believe that the PTA had unblocked all non-PTA-approved phones.

    Unfortunately, all of the reports claiming that the PTA has unblocked non-tax compliant phones are false as the majority of imported phones with unpaid taxes, are still blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and cannot work with any cellular networks in the country.

    They can, however, continue to use Wi-Fi connections like before. Some people with unapproved phones had their phones unblocked at random in recent weeks, allowing them to reconnect to cellular networks.

    The telecommunications authority has made clear that it has unblocked an undefined number of non-approved phones solely to motivate people to pay taxes and have their phones properly unblocked.

    According to PTA spokesperson Khurram Ali Mehran, this was just a persuasive drill to get people to authenticate their phones and pay taxes, no matter how expensive they are.

    He stated that the PTA chose to unblock the phones at random and that they will all be blocked again within two months.

  • Rawalpindi: Transporters continue to overcharge ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr

    Rawalpindi: Transporters continue to overcharge ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr

    The transporters have doubled fares ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, as they do every year, causing trouble to travellers who are heading to their hometowns to spend Eid with their loved ones and family.

    A massive influx of passengers was observed at all bus terminals as well as the Rawalpindi Railway Station. On May 1, both bus and wagon stations, as well as the railway station, were packed with folks heading back to their hometowns to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their families.

    Transporters at the Pirwadhai, Faizabad, Rawat, Humrahi and Soan Bus/Wagon Terminals were majorly involved in overcharging customers.

    Passengers were spotted frantically sprinting from one bus stop to the next in search of tickets, while transporters took advantage of the situation and asked for higher charges.

    Read more: City Traffic Police Lahore to check overcharging, overloading by transporters on Eid

    Long-distance transporters, on the other hand, were blatantly plundering poor travellers by demanding increased fares in addition to luggage charges.

  • Customs seizes smuggled liquor worth Rs6.48 million in Karachi

    Customs seizes smuggled liquor worth Rs6.48 million in Karachi

    During a raid on the outskirts of Karachi on Thursday, Pakistan Customs personnel recovered a massive quantity of imported liquor worth millions of rupees.

    According to a Customs spokesman, monitoring was increased at the Moachko checkpoint after the Customs Enforcement Collectorate got information that alcohol was being smuggled to Karachi from Quetta under the cover of official vehicles.

    When a car with a government license plate and an armed guard was sighted at the checkpoint, customs anti-smuggling personnel signaled the driver to pull up, but the driver instead sped away.

    When the officials gave chase, the driver of the car purposefully began hitting customs vehicles, and the guard resorted to firing. Because the road was packed and there was a threat to public safety, customs officers refrained from firing fire.

    According to a spokesman, when they were around Shershah Chowk, the driver and guard hopped out of the vehicle and fled, taking advantage of a traffic jam on the other side of the road. During a check of the vehicle, 348 liquor bottles worth Rs6,480,000 were seized, along with other items discovered.

    Read more: PTA to take action against advertising of illegal housing societies on social media

    The entire estimated value of the products and car was Rs10,480,000. An FIR has been filed, and a manhunt has been initiated to find the suspects.

  • PTA to take action against advertising of illegal housing societies on social media

    PTA to take action against advertising of illegal housing societies on social media

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) instructed housing societies that do not have a legal No Object Certificate (NOC) to refrain from advertising unauthorized businesses on social media platforms.

    According to a news release, the PTA has been approached by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) in response to a direction given by the Lahore High Court in a writ case on March 30, 2022, with regard to banning advertisements of illegal housing societies on digital and social media.

    All non-approved housing societies that operate without valid NOC from the concerned authorities are encouraged to desist from publicising the unlawful business on social media platforms, or else the PTA will take action in accordance with its legal mandate.