Identity theft and bad bookkeeping

A swindler is caught after illegally transferring money to his name.

LIAQATPUR: A swindler was caught after he illegally transferred money to his name.

According to the police, a man named Zulfiqar impersonated Anjuman Tajran president Rana Ahmed Khan and called a bank saying that he was in the UK and needed to transfer Rs50,000 to his account through the ATM.  Khan, while lodging a case three days before Eid, said that Chak-50 resident Zulfiqar had used his name and called his bank. “He said that he was in England, gave my account number and added that he was unable to send money to his family as the bank was closed,” Khan said, adding that the bank gave him ATM access.

“They told him the Rs100,000 balance and allowed him to transfer Rs 50,000 to his own account without confirming his identity,” he added. The bank had transferred the money to one Abdul Ghafoor.

Later on suspicion, Khan called Ghafoor’s number asking to speak to him and was told that Ghafoor was unable to speak to him as he was paralysed. “I then contacted the bank again to get information about the account holder and it turned out to be a man named Zulfiqar from Shorkot,” Khan said, adding that when he went to Shorkot to recover his money the accused brandished arms and refused to give him the money. “They threatened to kill me and then I went to the police,” he said. The police have registered a case and started an investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2010.