Police funds embezzlement reference: Gujrat’s former DPO Rai Zameer declared PO

LAHORE: An accountability court Wednesday declared Gujrat’s former DPO Rai Zameer proclaimed offender in Gujrat Police funds embezzlement reference.

Rai Zameer didn’t join the court proceedings despite repeated court orders after which proclamation proceeding were started against him.

In this case, the NAB had probed four former DPOs of Gujrat, including SP Kamran Mumtaz, SSP Rai Ijaz, SSP Sohail Zafar Chattha and Rai Zameer. As per NAB claims, all four former DPOs during their tenure in Gujrat had embezzled billions of rupees under different heads of procurement, including petrol, uniforms, martyr funds, fake vouchers, pensions and alleged ghost employments.

It is pertinent to mention that top police officials, including Rai Ijaz and Kamran Mumtaz, were arrested by the NAB. Later, both of them had secured bails from the Lahore High Court.

The NAB had arrested SP Kamran Mumtaz after his return from Australia where he had gone for attending a professional course.

The Bureau has accused him of embezzling Rs550 million under different heads, including petrol bills, allowances and martyrs funds of the police department during his posting as Gujrat DPO (2015-16).

The NAB has accused SSP Rai Ijaz of causing a loss of Rs700 million to the national exchequer through alleged misappropriation of police funds during his posting as Gujrat DPO.

According to the NAB, Ijaz spent Rs1.3 billion funds in eight months and allegedly misappropriated millions of rupees.

He is also accused of involvement in appointment of “ghost” police constables. Ijaz’s father Rai Zameer, a former DPO of Gujrat, is also wanted in this case.

The other accused who were arrested by the NAB in this case included former District Accounts Officer, Gujrat Chan Peer (2016-17), District Accounts Officer, Gujrat, Muhammad Afzal (2014-16), Muhammad Fayyaz Naqdi Mohararr DPO Office, Gujrat, Rameez Ahmad ex-constable DPO Office Gujrat, Muhammad Ashraf Senior Auditor Accounts Gujrat, Muhammad Asif Butt bank manager, Gujrat, and Shakeel Ahmad, bank’s operation manager, Gujrat.