F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Customs authorities have foiled a bid to smuggle a huge quantity of surgical masks to foreign countries at the New Islamabad Airport amid shortage of the item in the country due to Coronavirus outbreak.
The officials intercepted three passengers named Asif, Tauqeer and Mustaq at the airport and recovered 72,000 masks from their possession. They wanted to smuggled the product to Bankok and Doha.
The passengers were allowed to travel after confiscating the masks.
Demand of the N-95 masks surged worldwide as well in Pakistan after Coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 3,000 lives across the globe.
Price of surgical masks skyrocketed in parts of Pakistan after the government confirmed first two cases of the new virus in the country.
The federal government has confirmed six cases so far with three in Sindh. The epidemic fear pushed the people to buy the masks to avoid the novel virus but they were disappeared from the medical stores. The owners of stores also started selling them at exorbitant prices.
