Stolen UK Range Rover Traced to Karachi, Exposing Customs Loopholes
In a high-profile international case, a luxury Range Rover stolen from the UK has reportedly been traced to Karachi’s Saddar area — raising fresh concerns over Pakistan’s weak customs audits and flawed auction sheet verification processes.
How It Unfolded
The black Range Rover was stolen from Harrogate, UK, on November 22, 2022, before its trail went cold. The breakthrough came after Interpol Manchester coordinated with UK law enforcement to contact the Sindh Police.
Authorities tracked the SUV’s GPS, which had been shut off in Leeds but later reactivated on February 11, 2025, near Korangi Road and Azam Basti, Saddar, Karachi.
Interpol has logged the vehicle in its Secure Mechanism for Vehicles (SMV) database, urging Pakistani authorities to assist in its recovery. The Sindh Police have begun an active search, but whether the vehicle has been seized remains unconfirmed.
The Loophole: Customs and Import Verification
This case has highlighted long-standing flaws in Pakistan’s vehicle import ecosystem:
- Weak Customs Audits: Stolen or tampered vehicles can pass through ports due to insufficient document checks.
- Auction Sheet Fraud: Fake or unverifiable auction sheets often accompany luxury imports, masking a car’s true history.
- Lack of Digital Verification: Pakistan lacks a centralized cross-border vehicle database, leaving gaps in detecting stolen cars even after Interpol alerts.
- Grey Import Exploitation: Loopholes in import policy create room for smuggling networks to operate undetected.
Business Impact: Why This Matters
Beyond law enforcement, the issue carries serious economic and reputational risks:
- Dealers and Importers: Genuine businesses face reduced trust, as customers fear unknowingly buying stolen vehicles. This may depress sales in the luxury import segment.
- Buyers: Risk of financial loss, since vehicles flagged internationally can be seized anytime, with no compensation guaranteed.
- Local Assemblers: Incidents like these strengthen the lobbying position of local manufacturers, who argue against used imports by citing weak regulation.
- Pakistan’s Image: Internationally, it raises red flags about Pakistan’s customs regime, discouraging foreign investors and complicating auto trade agreements.
Why It Matters for the Auto Market
Unless Pakistan tightens customs audits, verifies auction sheets digitally, and integrates with global databases like Interpol SMV, similar cases will continue to surface.
This incident could serve as a turning point: either as a wake-up call for regulatory reform — or as another example of how systemic weaknesses allow grey imports to thrive unchecked.