Nefarious agendas: Retired public servant caught cheating family of death grant

Zaman was allegedly planning to swindle the family out of Rs700,000.

KARACHI:

Officials of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment’s Sindh Protectorate of Emigrants caught a man red-handed cheating the family of a deceased, Arshad Ali, in Rs1 million death grant case on Friday.

Despite all evidences shared by the top officials, police were unable to register a case against the alleged cheater, Abdul Zaman, a resident of Swabi, due to legal issues.

According to the details, Ali was killed in a road accident about two years ago in Saudi Arabia and according to the agreement with the emigration office, an employee on work visa should be compensated through life insurance by the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan. Ali’s heirs hail from Swabi and were unable to trace the case for insurance purposes, therefore, Zaman, 67, a retired employee of a public department, convinced Ali’s family that he could pursue the case.

“Zaman convinced us that Rs300,000 would be the total amount of the death grant,” said Tariq, the brother of Ali. “We didn’t know the exact amount. We even signed an agreement with Zaman and gave him Rs16,000 for expenditures from Swabi to Karachi.”

Farrukh Jamal, the assistant director of the Sindh emigration office, said, “All the process was being carried out smoothly and we had to give them the cheque on Friday. Tariq informed us, however, that Zaman was lying to the family by telling them that just Rs300,000 would be paid.”

The Sindh director of the emigration office, Mir Ghulam Hussain Talpur, expressed his concern, saying, “It is the first time in the history of the department that someone was being cheated.”

He added that such people cheat the innocent and defame the department. “We’ll take all the necessary steps according to the law and will never allow anyone to deceive people.”

Confessing before The Express Tribune, Zaman said that he was not the only person involved in the scam. “I am ashamed and guilty of the crime. I was misguided by another man, Raja Anwar, from Rawalpindi.”

Abdul Shakoor Soomro, also the assistant director of the emigration office, was of the view that though it was the first case that had surfaced in the history of the department, it would set precedent for others who cheat. “It proves the transparency of the department,” he added.

Tipu Sultan police officials didn’t register a case against Zaman due to legal formalities as all agreements between the two parties took place in Swabi. They suggested that the emigration officials and the heirs of Ali should register the case in Swabi.

Jamal said that the cheque was always handed over to the nominees.

Tariq also said that Ali’s wife and two minor children were living in Karachi for the last five days to receive the amount. “They are in dire need of financial support,” he  said, adding that Zaman was threatening his family not to disclose the actual amount supposed to be released by the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2013.