Five CDA officials arrested in billion-rupee land scam

Probe reveals scheme wherein implicated officials abused their entrusted authority to illicitly allocate 43 prime plots

By Shakeel Anjum
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April 30, 2025
An aerial view of Islamabad is seen in this undated image. — XIslamabadies/File

ISLAMABAD: In a decisive move against endemic corruption, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad has apprehended five officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for their alleged involvement in a staggering land allotment fraud estimated at one billion rupees.

The operation culminated in the arrest of senior officials all of whom held significant positions as Assistant and Deputy Directors within the civic body.

The arrests, which underscore an effort to cleanse the CDA of malfeasance, followed the cancellation of the accused’s pre-arrest bail by Special Judge Central II, Islamabad. Preliminary investigations unearthed a sophisticated scheme wherein the implicated officials abused their entrusted authority to illicitly allocate 43 prime plots in the coveted sectors of I-14, E-11, and D-13. This was allegedly achieved by fraudulently portraying individuals as legitimate landowners affected by development projects, circumventing due process, and inflicting a colossal loss upon the national exchequer.

Sources within the FIA indicate that the arrested individuals stand accused of orchestrating these fraudulent allotments through the manipulation of official records and the creation of spurious files. The brazen exploitation of their positions of power has sent shockwaves through the administrative ranks and ignited public outrage over the blatant disregard for ethical conduct and financial probity.

Following their apprehension, the accused have been taken into custody, and a probe has been launched to unravel the full extent of this scam.