CDNS to reimburse Rs1.2m to fraud victim

Alvi calls for FIA to investigate account emptied via fake cheque book

ISLAMABAD:

President Dr Arif Alvi took decisive action on Monday, directing the Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) to reimburse a sum of Rs1.2 million, with profit, to a woman who fell victim to fraud. The funds had been illicitly withdrawn from her account through the use of a fabricated cheque book and the affixing of counterfeit signatures on a withdrawal slip.

President Alvi also called upon CDNS to refer the matter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for a thorough investigation and to submit a compliance report to the Mohtasib within 30 days.

These directives from the president were issued following his review of a representation submitted by CDNS (the Agency) against a decision made by the Wafaqi Mohtasib, which had instructed CDNS to involve the FIA for a comprehensive inquiry.

The complainant, Abida Riffat, had alleged that she maintained a Pensioners Benefit Account with CDNS in Rawalpindi. In 2021, she discovered that an amount of Rs1.2 million had been fraudulently withdrawn from her account in 2019, using a cheque book she had never been issued. She promptly lodged a complaint with CDNS. However, an inquiry was conducted in a superfluous manner, and she was informed that she could not provide any evidence to support her claim. Aggrieved, she turned to the Wafaqi Mohtasib, which then directed CDNS to investigate the matter with the assistance of the FIA. In response, CDNS filed a representation with the president against the Mohtasib’s decision.

President Alvi’s decision highlighted that CDNS had already admitted in a letter dated December 28, 2021, that Rs1.2 million had been withdrawn from her account through a fraudulent transaction on May 23, 2019, involving counterfeit signatures on a withdrawal slip. Furthermore, he noted that during an internal inquiry conducted by CDNS, an officer had provided a statement alleging that the disputed amount had been fraudulently misappropriated by a gunman and a cashier. Curiously, the agency had not included these officials in the inquiry proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2023.

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