Pakistani Air Hostess Arrested for Smuggling iPhones, Eight Employees Under Investigation for Phone Smuggling

Pakistani Air Hostess Arrested for Smuggling iPhones, Eight Employees Under Investigation for Phone Smuggling

Multan, Pakistan

Pakistani Air Hostess Arrested for Smuggling iPhones: In one of the largest crackdowns against illegal phone smuggling, Pakistani customs authorities have arrested several crew members of Pakistan International Airlines for trying to bring expensive iPhones into the country. The latest such incident was the case of a PIA air hostess who was arrested at the city airport upon arrival from Abu Dhabi with a large number of high-end smart phones.

A report in Dawn said that she was traveling aboard flight PK-264, which arrived in Lahore on Saturday. While the Customs officers were inspecting her, it was found that she had a large quantity of luxury mobile phones, especially iPhone 16 Pro Max in her possession. The estimated worth of each unit was over PKR 500,000 in Pakistan.

Following the incident of smuggling through PIA, the management did not waste much time. The air hostess was suspended, and a show-cause notice was issued to her on January 25, with a three-day deadline for submission of a written response. The officials of the airline stated that further disciplinary measures would be initiated in accordance with the findings of the investigation. The spokesperson confirmed that the airline will not tolerate such violations of the company’s policies and national laws.

This is the second such incident in a week. On January 24, a team of customs officers at Multan airport recovered 78 iPhones from five PIA crew members, including two hostesses and three stewards, who had arrived from Dubai. The customs team, acting on prior intelligence, searched the luggage of the crew members and seized the expensive smartphones, mostly iPhone 16 Pro Max units.

The total worth of the phones smuggled by the five crew members exceeded PKR 39 million. The customs officials confirmed that the crew members involved were also facing charges for their illegal activities. According to one official, the phones were being brought into Pakistan without declaring them, bypassing customs duties and taxes.

In addition to the arrests in Lahore and Multan, PIA has also sacked two employees who were caught smuggling expensive mobile phones from Canada. After an internal inquiry, the two employees were found guilty of illegally trafficking phones and were promptly terminated from their positions.

A PIA spokesperson emphasized that the airline would be strict in dealing with such violations. “There will be no leniency shown toward violations of our policies or the country’s laws,” the spokesperson said.

This spate of smuggling cases has prompted questions about the integrity of airport staff and rising illegal trade in Pakistan’s airports. Customs have promised to further investigate and, in collaboration with PIA, ensure accountability so that such activity does not reoccur again.

As the probe continues, it is more on the enforcement of stricter regulations to stop the illegal importation of high-end goods into the country and the holding of accountable persons involved in the case.