Deceiving the public: Court sends fraudulent car dealer on remand

NAB claims accused swindled people of Rs195m on pretext of selling discounted new vehicles.

PESHAWAR: An accountability court on Wednesday handed over Salimat Khan Orakzai to the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for 14 days for swindling people out of Rs195 million on the pretext of providing them vehicles at cheap rates. NAB’s special prosecutor Lajbar Khan told the accountability court the accused car dealer defrauded dozens of people by offering brand new vehicles significantly below market rates. NAB received a number of complaints from people regarding Orakzai’s wrongful dealings and thus the authority started an investigation and arrested him. The court should give NAB custody of the suspect for 14 days so that the investigation could proceed, Khan argued. Judge Shamshir Khan granted their request. A statement issued by NAB said the accused was running a business under the name of Al-Faisal motors in Kohat, and Fateh Jang, Punjab with its head office in Islamabad. Orakzai misled people to believe he had an agreement with a car company to sell 300 cars, which were being provided to him at 30% below the market price. The alleged con artist initially provided customers with new vehicles in order to gain the community’s trust but later defrauded others by taking their money and not providing them with cars. Authorities claim he has taken Rs195 million from honest car buyers. Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2014.