Land scam: NAB arrests assistant commissioner

He allegedly sold land to people under a fake housing scheme

HYDERABAD: An assistant commissioner, identified as Ali Zulfiqar Memon, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for his alleged involvement in a Rs100-million land scam involving sale of plots in a fake housing scheme in Qasimabad.

Memon, during his stint as mukhtiarkar in Qasimabad taluka, allegedly forged the land records in favour of Memon Housing Scheme and sold the land to the people. The housing scheme was spread over 24 acres of land.

NAB spokesperson Rizwan Soomro said that the people were lured into purchasing pieces of land that never existed in the official land record. According to him, two real estate developers, Abdul Ghaffar Dada and Rafique Solangi, were also accused in the case. He added that NAB is conducting raids to arrest other suspects.

Memon, who is currently posted as assistant commissioner of Nangarparkar taluka in Tharparkar district, was arrested from Karachi. A tapedar is also accused in the case.

The spokesperson said that NAB received around a hundred complaints from the allottees and case No 18170/15 was registered on the complaint of an allottee, identified as Taj Muhammad.

Qasimabad is among the most expensive towns in Hyderabad district. According to a recent land valuation prepared by the Federal Board of Revenue for the levy of income tax on property, Qasimabad has been placed in the top category among the four categories of property valuation in Hyderabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2016.