Ponzi scheme: IGP ordered to investigate band of swindlers
Bail denied to two men accused of taking money on the pretext of investing in ‘Islamic’ businesses.
Lawyer says his clients were just the guarantors, claiming the actual person behind the fraud was Qari Tayyab.
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa IGP was directed on Monday to conduct an inquiry into a group of religious leaders who had stolen money from people in Nowshera on the pretext of investing it in ‘Islamic’ businesses.
Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan issued the order while hearing the bail application of Shamsul Haq, father of the primary accused, Qari Tayyab. The court later turned down the bail application of Haq and another accused Abdul Aziz.
Haq’s lawyer informed the court his client and Aziz were accused of taking money from over 700 people in Nowshera and other districts. He said the two men were just the guarantors, claiming the actual person behind the fraud was Qari Tayyab, who had absconded.
State lawyer Advocate Nomanul Haq Kakakhel said the accused have agreed in court many times to pay compensation, but have not done so yet. “They made similar promises on November 11,” he added.
Justice Khan said this was the first such incident wherein religious leaders such as seminary teachers and the imam of a mosque are involved in fraudulently taking money from people on the pretext of investing in Islamic businesses. “Scores of widows and retired government employees lost their savings,” remarked the chief justice.
Rejecting the bail applications of the two accused, Justice Khan ordered the IGP to conduct an inquiry headed by superintendent of police and recover the money. “If the police cannot conduct the inquiry, then the National Accountability Bureau should initiate an inquiry against the accused and report to the court on a weekly basis,” he added.
The court also called for the government to form a stringent law to punish such people and confiscate their property in the event of their conviction. “Special courts need to be established to deal with such cases,” stressed Justice Khan.
The court also ordered the police to carry out an inquiry against sub-inspector Behroz Khan who reportedly carried out insufficient investigation into the case and did not recover the people’s money.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2013.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa IGP was directed on Monday to conduct an inquiry into a group of religious leaders who had stolen money from people in Nowshera on the pretext of investing it in ‘Islamic’ businesses.
Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan issued the order while hearing the bail application of Shamsul Haq, father of the primary accused, Qari Tayyab. The court later turned down the bail application of Haq and another accused Abdul Aziz.
Haq’s lawyer informed the court his client and Aziz were accused of taking money from over 700 people in Nowshera and other districts. He said the two men were just the guarantors, claiming the actual person behind the fraud was Qari Tayyab, who had absconded.
State lawyer Advocate Nomanul Haq Kakakhel said the accused have agreed in court many times to pay compensation, but have not done so yet. “They made similar promises on November 11,” he added.
Justice Khan said this was the first such incident wherein religious leaders such as seminary teachers and the imam of a mosque are involved in fraudulently taking money from people on the pretext of investing in Islamic businesses. “Scores of widows and retired government employees lost their savings,” remarked the chief justice.
Rejecting the bail applications of the two accused, Justice Khan ordered the IGP to conduct an inquiry headed by superintendent of police and recover the money. “If the police cannot conduct the inquiry, then the National Accountability Bureau should initiate an inquiry against the accused and report to the court on a weekly basis,” he added.
The court also called for the government to form a stringent law to punish such people and confiscate their property in the event of their conviction. “Special courts need to be established to deal with such cases,” stressed Justice Khan.
The court also ordered the police to carry out an inquiry against sub-inspector Behroz Khan who reportedly carried out insufficient investigation into the case and did not recover the people’s money.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2013.