Fake Chaudhry Wajahat arrested

Impersonator demanded Rs5m, threatened to kill a practicing doctor in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: The city police arrested a suspect for impersonating as Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain and threatening to kill a practicing doctor in Islamabad.

Dr Abdul Wahid, a resident of sector G-6, had lodged a complaint with the Aabpara area Police that he had received a telephone call from Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain of Gujrat, who demanded Rs5 million from him. “Failure to comply would result in your death,” Dr Wahid was told by the impersonator. The police registered a case and launched investigations.

Wajahat Hussain, younger brother of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, was then contacted who denied making any such call. “He also helped the police in arresting the suspects,” said an official.

The suspects, Dr Imran Saeed and Awais Ahmed Kapoor, both residents of Gujrat, were traced with the help of their cell phone identities. Dr Imran Saeed had made the call to Dr Wahid in Islamabad and threatened him. He had purchased the SIM card in the name of his cousin Awais Ahmed Kapoor, which led to his arrest.

Dr Wahid used to conduct medical tests for the people who apply for Libyan visa. Saeed had once applied for the visa and went to Libya after appearing before Dr Wahid for medical tests. Since then, he had Dr Wahid’s number saved with him.

On his return from Libya, Saeed planned to blackmail people on phone and randomly selected Dr Wahid as his target. It was not clear if he had victimised more people. Police said the suspects would be produced before the court on Wednesday for obtaining physical remand.

Saeed had called Dr Wahid and instructed him to deposit some Rs5 million in an account which he claimed was the official bank account of PML-Q. “Later, the account was found registered with a bank in Gujrat,” police said. Police had first traced Kapoor who revealed Saeed’s plan to the police. He told them that Saeed had demanded the copy of his National Identity Card, which he did not know was going to be used for purchasing mobile phone SIM card.

Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain told the police that he did not know the people arrested by the police. Saeed thought that Hussain was a well-known figure and he would be able to terrorise people by using his name.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2010.