Fake FBR Officer, Police Caught Extorting Cigarette Transporters in Lahore

A fake tax collector along with complicit police officers and private individuals have been implicated in extorting money from cigarette transporters through illegal truck searches in Lahore. An FIR filed by Lahore Police reveals the culprits posing as members of the Inland Revenue Enforcement Network (IREN) targeted trucks on October 31 and conducted unauthorized searches before coercing drivers into paying bribes. Among the accused are an armed Inland Revenue official, three police officers, and others. Following a complaint from the cargo truck owner, the Inland Revenue initiated an investigation which led to a tax official’s transfer to the Regional Tax Office in Abbottabad. The IREN squad has pledged strict action to address such fraudulent activities.