FIA finds evidence against accused MUET administrative officer

Teachers, varsity officials registered complaints over posting of defamatory content

HYDERABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has claimed to have found incriminating evidence against an administrative officer of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro, arrested under charges of uploading defamatory content and images on Facebook of the varsity's officials. In a letter addressed to the MUET registrar on Monday, FIA Cyber Crime Cell Investigating Officer Tariq Hussain Arbab, asked him to collect and forward more complaints from faculty, staff and students against Kashif Dars.

"... inform faculty, students, teachers, etc. that if they wish to register a complaint against the accused they may contact the undersigned," reads the letter. MUET Students Financial Aid Deputy Director Kashif Dars was arrested last week after registration of FIR on May 15 on complaint of Ashfaq Laghari, assistant public relations officer of MUET.



The complainant accused Dars of sharing photoshopped and objectionable photographs on social media as well as writing slanderous comments against him. Dars was allegedly operating five Facebook IDs in the names of Nighat Huma, MUET Corruption, Mehran Corruption, Baaghi MUET and Groups, the FIR stated. The ID Nighat Huma was registered with the cellphone number of Dars which later led to his arrest.

According to Arbab, the FIA team searched the accused's office at the time of his arrest and seized a laptop, a hard disk and two mobile phones. "... the FIA has seized devices belonging to the accused in which after technical analysis a large volume of incriminating evidence has been found," the IO claimed.

The FIA produced Dars before the court for physical remand but the court sent him to Landhi jail in Karachi on judicial remand. The family members of Dars could not be contacted for their version. Teachers and officers associations of MUET have demanded disciplinary action against the accused through the syndicate.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2019.