NAB arrests five accused in Multan

The accused are involved in multi-million-rupee land scams

MULTAN: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday arrested five accused including four involved in Wapda Town Housing Society scam and one involved in PIA Housing Society fraud. NAB spokesman said the accused would be reproduced on May 25 before the Accountability Court.

NAB Multan region Director General Atiqur Rehman said four accused involved in Wapda Housing Society scam were identified as Muhammad Talha Baig, Muhammad Khalid, Hafiz Masood Nawaz and Abdul Razzaq Kashif. The fifth accused Mehmood Yasin Zahid was involved in PIA Housing Scheme.

He said Muhammad Khalid, the accused arrested in Wapda Town Employees Cooperative Housing Societies (WECHS) scam, was member of land purchase committee and management committee of the WECHS Multan. He, in his capacity and with the connivance of other members of the management committee, illegally approved allotment of commercial plots in phase-III of WECHS, which was against the bylaws of the society.

The management of the society granted the said illegal approval in the MC meetings held on August 29, 2015, November 16, 2015 and December 30, 15. Atiqur Rehman said the act of accused caused a loss of Rs1.752 billion to the society in the form of illegal allotment of commercial files and for which he was equally liable as per bylaws of the society.

During the interrogation, accused Saeed Ahmed Khan pointed out that he gave Rs15 million as kickback to accused Muhammad Khalid along with files of residential and commercial plots for illegal approval. The record of WECHS, Multan revealed that accused Salman Siddiqui, got allotted 458 illegal commercial files against the land he transferred to WECHS, Multan. The accused was arrested on August 31, 2016.

NAB Director General Atiqur Rehman said during the interrogation, the accused revealed that he was in partnership with accused Abdul Razzaq Kashif and Mriza Talha Baig in a business titled Property Avenue on equal profit-loss share. The record also revealed that 101 kanals and 12 marlas land mentioned in the record was on Satha (agreement to sell) whereas actually the land against this Satha has not yet been transferred to WECHS, Multan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2017.