Quetta: Pakistan Customs have arrested two preventive officers, Arif Ali Jumani and Samiullah Achakzai, on charges of collusion and the alleged swapping of silver bullions with lead. The arrests follow an incident involving the transportation of 688 kilograms of silver, which was intended to be deposited at Pakistan Mint Lahore, but was found to include 400 kilograms of fake silver upon arrival.

According to Press Information Department, the two officers were tasked with transporting the silver from the State Warehouse in Quetta to Lahore. The silver, packed in 36 sealed boxes, was shipped via a Pakistan International Airlines flight and was subsequently delivered to Pakistan Mint Lahore. Upon inspection, a significant portion of the bullion was found to be lead rather than silver.

The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement in Quetta launched an inquiry into the matter, which included reviewing CCTV footage. The footage reportedly showed the officers swapping the original vehicle carrying the silver with another vehicle containing fake lead bricks. An FIR has been filed, and the officers have been detained as further investigations take place to ascertain whether others were involved in the scheme.