Swindling ‘spy’: Fake intelligence agency official arrested

ISLAMABAD:

Muhammad Farooq minted millions after promising people government jobs and work visas to go abroad, but after being bled for money for a year, one victim was able to help the police net him.

Mureed Ahmed, a resident of Sector G-8/2, approached the Margalla police with a complaint against a man who posed as an intelligence official and “said he could get me a job in a government department if I paid him Rs200,000 for it,” Ahmed told the police.

The man, whose name was given as Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Jund Tehsil in Attock District, later contacted Ahmed and asked for more money. Ahmed said Farooq showed him a departmental card that he was carrying.

However, the complainant suspected that Farooq could be a fraudster as he never gave him clear information about the nature of the job that he was arranging. After the lapse of one full year, Ahmed approached the police for help.

The Margalla police said they trapped the suspect with Ahmed’s help after the complainant called Farooq from his phone and showed his willingness to pay more money to get the job.

The police arrested Farooq when he came to meet Ahmed. During the initial investigation, the suspect revealed he had taken money from other people as well, the police said. In his possession, the police found fake ID cards from intelligence agencies and other government bodies that he used to scam people.

Farooq also gave up nine passports and the original educational certificates of many different people which he had taken as part of their ‘visa application processes’.

The Margalla police said further investigations were underway and Farooq’s other victims were being traced and contacted.

In a separate police raid, the Bhara Kahu police arrested a fraudster identified as Yaqub, who forged land documents and then tried to get it transferred to his name.

The raid was carried on the complaint of Revenue Officer Muhammad Ibrahim. The police are still looking for the people who assisted the suspect in preparing the forged documents.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2012.