Senate Panel Probes Cigarette Theft From FBR Warehouse

A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Thursday examined the disappearance of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes from a warehouse being utilized by the Federal Board of Revenue.

According to reports, the session—led by Senator Saifullah Abro—received briefings from representatives of the Federal Investigation Agency and the FBR about the details and developments related to the case.

FIA officials informed the committee that drivers accessing the warehouse are typically required to obtain official entry and exit passes. However, on the day the cigarettes were transported out of the facility, no such pass had been issued to the driver involved.

They further explained that the shift supervisor responsible for monitoring warehouse operations was absent when the goods were moved, and no official log entry or documentation of the transfer had been recorded.

Investigators also told the committee that there was no CCTV footage available that could help review or verify the incident.

FBR representatives informed the panel that the warehouse had been leased by the department and that no surveillance cameras had been installed at the location.

They also stated that staff members had only been verbally instructed about the standard operating procedures governing activities at the warehouse.

FIA officials added that statements from several officers whose names surfaced during the investigation had already been collected as part of the inquiry.