Mill Owners Reportedly Create Fake Online Portal of Food Department for Smuggling Flour

A major case of digital forgery has been uncovered in Punjab, where a fake web portal of the Food Department was allegedly being used to facilitate inter-provincial flour smuggling, as reported by Express News. Officials said the portal was used to generate counterfeit permits for flour transportation across provinces. Under the government’s current system, valid Food Department permits are mandatory for cross-border movement of flour — but the department has temporarily suspended issuing such permits. According to Express News, the illegal digital portal was reportedly created by a group of flour mills operating out of Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, and nearby regions. The fake system mimicked the department’s real website, allowing smugglers to obtain fraudulent documentation for truckloads of flour. DG Food Punjab Amjad Hafeez launched a targeted operation after receiving intelligence on the matter. Several shipments carrying fake digital permits were intercepted during the crackdown. Initial investigations revealed that the group had developed the portal specifically to generate fake inter-provincial permits and smuggle thousands of tons of flour. Officials stationed at multiple check posts were also found to be involved in the scheme, according to early findings. Investigators have identified a close relative of a senior representative of the All Pakistan Flour Mills Association (APFMA) among those under scrutiny. Following the operation, the perpetrators reportedly shut down the fake web portal. The DG Food Punjab has now directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Cyber Crime Wing to conduct a comprehensive probe and submit a report. Authorities believe the digital forgery may be one of the largest cyber-enabled scams in Punjab’s food sector history, exposing serious flaws in monitoring and inter-provincial transport control.