13 General Post Office workers remanded to FIA custody

Case pertains to corruption worth millions of rupees

KARACHI:

A local court handed over on Tuesday 13 General Post Office (GPO) employees to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a four-day physical remand in a case pertaining to corruption worth millions of rupees.

The South judicial magistrate was hearing the case at Karachi City Court, where the police presented the accused employees, who were part of the GPO accounts department, in court after the completion of their earlier remand.

The investigation officer (IO) informed the court that Rs20 million had been confiscated from the accused's possession, further claiming that the accused had stolen millions of rupees from citizens through saving accounts.

Adding that the initial investigation had not yet been completed, the IO moved the court to grant an extension in the workers' remand.

The court accepted the IO's request and handed over the accused to FIA officials for a four-day physical remand. It further directed the IO to submit a progress report.

Falling billboard

Meanwhile, the magistrate also approved the pre-arrest bail plea of another accused in a case pertaining to a billboard falling on motorcyclists near Metropole Hotel during rain last week.

The billboard owner, Ashraf Motiwala, had filed the pre-arrest bail plea. The court granted him bail against a surety of Rs40,000 and restrained the police from arresting him until August 15.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation advertisement director Wazir Ali and deputy advertisement director Muhammad Siddiq, both of whom are also accused in the case, were granted bail on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2020.