Audio leak exposes alleged misconduct in Railways fraud investigation

Railway police arrest four employees for allotting houses for bribes

The vigilance team tasked with investigating the fraudulent allotment of government quarters in Pakistan Railways has reportedly begun demanding residential quarters for themselves.

A fake allotment scam had surfaced in Pakistan Railways last week, exposing corruption worth over Rs100 million involving bogus allocation of more than 200 residential quarters in Lahore and Mughalpura. DIG (North) Abdul Rab Chaudhry, who also serves as DG Vigilance, initiated an inquiry after receiving multiple complaints.

In audio recordings obtained by The Express Tribune, sources say inquiry team members are heard requesting attractive and well-located quarters for their own use. The inquiry team, comprised of a special team of officials from the Lahore and Mughalpura Workshops Police, Vigilance Directorate, and Special Branch, had been formed specially to investigate the allotment fraud.

The audio reportedly captures members of the special inquiry team, rather than conducting proper investigations, pressuring state inspectors and other employees to find quarters for themselves. In one instance, a team member is heard saying, “If a good quarter is available, I will definitely give it to the state inspector”.

The recordings suggest alleged contacts between inquiry team representatives, state inspectors, and allottees. It has also emerged that some officers may have been protected, while certain individuals, including the former state inspector Anees, were not included on the official list.

Other clips suggest similar requests, with team members Dogar and Roof allegedly asking for attractive or well-located quarters for personal benefit.

The audio leak has caused unrest within the inquiry team, which has now begun issuing statements denying the claims.

Read: Rs100m fake allotment scam exposed in Pakistan railways

A Pakistan Railways police spokesperson said there is a zero-tolerance policy regarding inquiry teams. Investigations into the allotment of quarters are ongoing, and it is possible that certain tactics were used to obtain confessions from suspects during questioning.

The spokesperson added: “If any element of corruption is found within the inquiry teams, departmental and legal action will be taken.”

Vigilance team findings

The initial inquiry revealed that officers and staff from the Lahore Division and Mughalpura Workshops allegedly collected around Rs100 million in bribes by issuing fake and illegal allotment letters for railway quarters.

The report names former and current State Inspectors, Assistant Inspectors of Works (AIOWs), and officials from the Railways Headquarters as key suspects in the scam.

A breakthrough in the initial investigation had come when Adil Shehzad, a UDC (Upper Division Clerk) at the Mughalpura Workshops, was arrested and booked at the Lahore Railways Police Station for fraud and forgery. He allegedly allocated a railway bungalow (No. 260-B in Signal Shop Colony) to himself using a counterfeit letter bearing the signature of the XEN Headquarters.

Investigators found that Adil had even leased out the servant quarters of the property to private individuals for personal profit.

In the most recent development, a cheque worth Rs500,000 from the account of the main suspect Adil Shehzad’s wife, made out to a state inspector named Anees, has also surfaced.

Railway police have reportedly arrested four employees—Waqas, Muhammad Zigham, Muhammad Nazar, and Zeeshan Shahid—allegedly involved in allocating quarters and houses in exchange for bribes totalling Rs100 million. Raids are ongoing to apprehend other suspects, who are expected to be arrested soon.

DG Abdul Rab Chaudhry had uncovered the fraud at Lahore Division, Mughalpura Workshop, and the Railway Headquarters. His report revealed the involvement of 19 railway employees in the scheme.

Railway police sources say raids are underway to arrest the central suspect, Adil Shehzad. Other employees named in the DG Vigilance report include Ghulam Tabassum, Tauqeer Hussain, Rifaqat, Rehan, Ehsan Arif, Kaleem, Rashid Rasheed, Zahid, Hafiz Shafiq, Ayaz, and others.

There are also indications that some senior railway officials may be implicated in the illegal allotment of quarters.