Officials on hook in Rs25m bribery case

Inspector caught allegedly accepting first instalment of bribe during magistrate-supervised trap raid

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad has arrested a superintendent and two inspectors of the Customs Investigation and Prosecution Branch, Islamabad, on charges of bribery, extortion, misuse of authority and criminal conspiracy, registering a case against them.

Customs Inspector Shahzaib Ali was caught red-handed during a magistrate-supervised trap raid, while the accused were remanded in FIA custody for five days for investigation.

According to officials, Ali Athar, a resident of Rawalpindi, approached FIA Islamabad Zone Director Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari, alleging that Customs Inspector Shahzaib and other officials had harassed and threatened him in collusion and initially demanded Rs5 million in exchange for undue relief in a pending customs criminal case.

The amount was later settled at Rs2.5 million. The complainant further alleged that the officials threatened to implicate his family members and associates if the demand was not met.

After obtaining approval from the competent authority and completing legal formalities, the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle conducted a trap raid under the supervision of a magistrate at a café in Islamabad's I-8 sector.

During the raid, Inspector Shahzaib Ali was allegedly caught while receiving the first instalment of Rs500,000. Marked currency notes and his mobile phone were taken into custody.

Officials said a preliminary forensic examination of the mobile phone recovered voice chats allegedly indicating a criminal conspiracy to extort money from the complainant and plans to harass his family.