One arrested for ‘conning’ BISP beneficiaries

Police say they caught him in the act of making illegal deductions from beneficiaries of the welfare programme

KUNRI:

Police on Wednesday arrested one man for making illegal deductions from payments meant for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries.

The BISP district officer in Umerkot, Raheel Feroze, made an unannounced visit at an automated teller machine (ATM) of a bank, where the suspect, Jasim Maharaj, was arrested.

Police said they caught him in the act of making illegal deductions from beneficiaries of the welfare programme.

Two of his accomplices fled the scene while another accomplice, believed to be the mastermind, was not present there.

The raid follows the publication of a story in this newspaper regarding agents deducting between Rs500 to Rs1,500 from payments of BISP beneficiaries.

At the time of the raid, those present there accused police of targeting the wrong individuals. The illegal deductions were carried out by “device owners”, they said, and called for action against them instead of ordinary agents.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2023.