Rs1b land transfer fraud unearthed

DIJKOT:

The revenue department unearthed a state land transfer scam which allegedly carried out by two private land grabbers, in connivance with four officials of the land record centre. The scam caused a loss of Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.

As part of the inquiry ordered by the district administration, the initial probe committee comprised of AC Saddar Umer Maqbool, Tehsildar Saddar Faisalabad Rana Abid Iqbal and four other members of the Revenue department.

The inquiry found that with the active support of land record center officials Muhammad Shahbaz, Muhammad Sheraz, Naveed Anwar and two clerks of the Naib Tehsildar Office, state land measuring 193 kanal and 5 Marla was transferred to Shamim Akhtar ul Haq and Rana Muhammad Asif.

Witnesses also confirmed and verified the fraudulent transfers and bribes worth millions of rupees to the aforementioned land record center staff.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2023.