The Anti-corruption authorities in Rawalpindi on Thursday arrested three men allegedly involved in land grabbing, one of whom is said to be a “frontman” of property tycoon Malik Riaz.
Fazal Inam aka Saeen Inam was arrested after the authorities found that 732 kanals near Rawat, worth millions of rupees, had been transferred to his name without any revenue record.
The officials also arrested Inam’s accomplice Fazal Arshad and revenue official Illyas, who had allegedly transferred the land to Inam.
According to high-ranking officials, tehsildar Sohail Maqbool and girdawar Qazi Sajid, who are yet to be arrested, have also been nominated in the case.
The arrested suspects are being held at Civil Lines Police Station and will be produced before a magistrate today (Friday) where the anti-corruption authorities will seek their physical remand.
Separately, The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi chapter arrested Abu Bakar Dawood and Abdul Aziz Dawood in a land scam case after the Sindh High Court rejected their bail pleas.
The two are accused of illegally converting 70 acres of industrial land to commercial/residential land in Korangi area.
The conversion was approved in 2011 allegedly by former Sindh’s Land Utilisation Department secretary of Ghulam Mustafa Phul, who is also nominated in the case. His bail plea was rejected by the court as well, however, he escaped from court premises.
Abu Bakar and Abdul Aziz will be produced before an accountability court, where NAB authorities will seek their judicial remand.
Published in Daily Times, June 1st 2018.
