Six revenue officials netted for corruption

The suspects were involved in collecting water cess (abyana) through fake receipts twice a year.

HARIPUR:

The Anti-Corruption Department (ACD) has arrested six revenue officials (patwaris) of the provincial irrigation department for allegedly inflicting a loss of more than Rs17 million to the public treasury, it is learnt.

The suspects were involved in collecting water cess (abyana) from the landlords/cultivators through fake receipts twice a year.

According to sources, the audit report of the Irrigation Dept revealed the corruption of patwari. After collecting the entire evidence, the ACD lodged an FIR against 12 patwari and managed to arrest six of them. Raids are continuing to arrest the other four suspects.

Officials, who 'embezzled' the public money include Nisar and Nawaz from the Dingi and Sarwar Sultan and Niaz from Kholian, Ghulam Farooq from Jatti Pind, Mohammad Farooq from Kholian Bala, Waheed from Jatti Pind, Sajid Saleem and Riasat from Sarai Saleh Tubewell and Haroon, Nadeem and Aziz from Small Dam constituency.