Fraudulent passports: FIA arrests passport office assistant director
Nominates three other staffers for arrest based on information revealed by 11 Afghans.
Nominates three other staffers for arrest based on information revealed by 11 Afghans. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
LAHORE:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested the assistant director of a passport office and nominated three other office staffers for arrest for alleged involvement in a fraudulent computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport racket, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The move follows the arrest of 11 Afghan nationals and an agent of the Garden Town passport office a few days earlier. According to sources in the FIA, information gleaned from the Afghans and the passport office agent implicated the four officials – Garden Town passport office Assistant Director Iqbal Shahid, data entry operator Muhammad Ibrahim, clerk Rana Irfan and token operator Laqa Haider – and revealed an extensive network of agents and officials was involved in producing fraudulent passports and CNICs. FIA has also traced the person who attested the Afghan nationals’ forms, identified as Dharmpura Zakat Council Vice Chairman Tariq.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a member of the FIA team investigating the case said during interrogations, the Afghan nationals revealed they succeeded in obtaining CNICs after paying Rs170,000 each to two agents, identified as Amanullah and Liaquat Bhatti – who was arrested earlier along with the Afghans. He added that Amanullah and Bhatti were running the fraudulent CNIC and passport racket under the umbrella of the jointly owned Al Daim Travel Agency.
Amanullah disappeared immediately following Bhatti’s arrest. FIA has constituted various raiding parties to apprehend Amanullah, Tariq and the three passport office staffers nominated for arrest, according to FIA Anti Human Trafficking Circle Deputy Director Nasir Jameel Gujjar.
Meanwhile, FIA has also sought records from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to determine the role of its employees in the preparation of fraudulent CNICs.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2012.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested the assistant director of a passport office and nominated three other office staffers for arrest for alleged involvement in a fraudulent computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport racket, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The move follows the arrest of 11 Afghan nationals and an agent of the Garden Town passport office a few days earlier. According to sources in the FIA, information gleaned from the Afghans and the passport office agent implicated the four officials – Garden Town passport office Assistant Director Iqbal Shahid, data entry operator Muhammad Ibrahim, clerk Rana Irfan and token operator Laqa Haider – and revealed an extensive network of agents and officials was involved in producing fraudulent passports and CNICs. FIA has also traced the person who attested the Afghan nationals’ forms, identified as Dharmpura Zakat Council Vice Chairman Tariq.
Talking to The Express Tribune, a member of the FIA team investigating the case said during interrogations, the Afghan nationals revealed they succeeded in obtaining CNICs after paying Rs170,000 each to two agents, identified as Amanullah and Liaquat Bhatti – who was arrested earlier along with the Afghans. He added that Amanullah and Bhatti were running the fraudulent CNIC and passport racket under the umbrella of the jointly owned Al Daim Travel Agency.
Amanullah disappeared immediately following Bhatti’s arrest. FIA has constituted various raiding parties to apprehend Amanullah, Tariq and the three passport office staffers nominated for arrest, according to FIA Anti Human Trafficking Circle Deputy Director Nasir Jameel Gujjar.
Meanwhile, FIA has also sought records from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to determine the role of its employees in the preparation of fraudulent CNICs.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2012.