FIA arrests fraudster who issued fake permits for tinted glass

The Federal Investigation Agency’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) on Tuesday announced the arrest of a fraudster involved in issuing NOCs on behalf of the federal interior ministry.

The spokesman for the FIA Sindh said the arrest was outcome of an inquiry of the ACC after a case was registered on the basis of a complaint by Muhammad Riaz, section officer, KP Ministry of Interior, Islamabad. The complaint was received by the Zonal Office Karachi from FIA Headquarters in Islamabad.

The complaint was filed with a request to take action against culprits who had produced fake permissions of tinted glasses. It was directed that the ministry’s letter be referred that stated that fake permission letters had been issued to several people for use of tinted glasses.

During the course of the inquiry, one person, Muhammad Farooq, owner of a vehicle, stated that his son Umer had obtained an NOC and a permit from his friend Minhaj Altaf. Moreover, Minhaj stated that he came in contact with one Aizaz Khattak through Facebook having ID Asad Khan for obtaining NOCs and permission for tinted glasses.

Aizaz Khattak alias Asad Khan provided a WhatsApp number and obtained NOCs and permission from one Aizaz Khattak, including for his four vehicles and one vehicle of Umer. Hence, fake permission letters fraudulently obtained by Aizaz Khattak were seized during the inquiry.

Minhaj Altaf said he paid an average of Rs5,000 in respect of each fake NOC and permission to Aizaz Khattak either in cash on delivery (COD) to a courier service and also in two bank accounts of Aizaz Khattak both titled Aizaz Khattak UBL Ameen Akhora Khattak, Naushera KPK. The bank record reveals that another number was mentioned in the bank record, which is registered in the name of Fareedullah Jan.

During the interrogation, Aizaz Khattak admitted to have been making fake NOCs since 2020. He saw an advertisement at Facebook post in which one person requested a tinted glass permit and also shared an image of a tinted glass permit of 2013.

He copied the same permit image with intent to make a similar permit. For the purpose, he created Facebook ID with fake name Asad Khan and a cellphone number mentioned. He published a post on this ID and offered the services of arranging legal and original permits (permission to use tinted glasses) and gave the same phone number for contact on WhatsApp in violation of Section 14 and 16 of the PECA 2016.

Many people contacted him on WhatsApp to get permits. Accordingly, he collected the details of the customer, i.e. name, CNIC copy, CNIC number, registration number, model, make, type, colour etc. of the vehicle and made permits. He also arranged fake stamps of the concerned official of the Ministry of Interior and also made forged signatures on the permits and NOCs.

Besides, he also obtained the addresses of customers to deliver fake permits through the courier service. He admitted to have sold fake permits to various persons at Karachi and Lahore. His iPhone also contains several NOCs and permissions for use of tinted glasses along with various courier receipts from WhatsApp. Aizaz Khattak was formerly arrested and items including his cellphone were seized.

FIA officer remanded

A court remanded a deputy director of the FIA in a case pertaining to money laundering. The judicial magistrate (South) ordered the FIA to produce Abdul Ghaffar in court again after four days along with a progress report.

According to the FIA, the suspect during his posting as incharge of the Cyber Crime Reporting Centre Karachi extended undue favours to a software company in an inquiry against it in return for a bribe. It said the investigation has ascertained that an amount of Rs14 million was paid in illegal gratification, of which Rs4 million was handed over to a woman in Lahore on January 25 and Rs10 million was given to a man in the same city three days later.