FIA begins second probe against businessman for laundering money

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Karachi’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) has initiated a second inquiry into money-laundering against a real estate businessman Ali Hassan Birohi aka Haji Ali Hassan Zahri, who is associated with certain ruling party leaders of Sindh and Balochistan.

According to the official record copies available with The News, the FIA received the first recommendation by DIG CTD in August 2021 to conduct an inquiry, in connection with a criminal case registered against Ali Hassan Birohi, his associates and some police officers of Karachi’s Defense Police Station. He is accused of abducting three Nigerian nationals from police custody and subsequently handing them over to the drug mafia. The Sindh Police also recommended money-laundering proceedings against Birohi and his associates following the encroachment of a property. The FIR 138/20 of the said case was registered at Sohrab Goth Police Station and after a lapse of two years FIA’s Anti-Corruption Circle has initiated money laundering inquiries against him.

Earlier, Sub-Inspector Imran Hussain of FIA, ACC, Karachi found Birohi and his associates to be involved in 15 other criminal cases of heinous nature registered at Police Stations of Karachi Manghopir, Sohrab Goth, Korangi Industrial area, Gadap City, Taimoria, Gulshan-e-Maymar and Gulshan-e-Maymar. However, the inquiry could not be finalised after it the process was influenced and the inquiry was reassigned to several different forums in the FIA. First, the case was reassigned from FIA Karachi’s Corporate Crime Circle to Karachi’s Commercial Banking Circle and then transferred to FIA Islamabad on the recommendations of the Senate Standing Committee of Interior when Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, wife of accused Ali Hassan Birohi highlighted the case, and on December 27, 2021, the inquiry was transferred to FIA Islamabad.

According to FIA Karachi’s inquiry report, the DHA Police recovered three Nigerian nationals from House 39, Street 1, Phase VII, DHA, Karachi from the custody of drug mafia dons Nusrat Ali alias Haji Imran and others on August 2021. After recovering them, the police shifted them to DHA Police Station. Soon afterwards, the drug dealers contacted Ali Hassan Birohi and offered him Rs 20 million to release the Nigerians from Police custody. Birohi is accused of contacting PS Defense SHO Muhammad Ali Niazi and Muhammad Waseem Abro, who allegedly accepted Rs7 million bribe and handed over the Nigerians to Birohi’s frontmen Ali Nawaz and Dilbar Malano. Later, they were handed over to the drug dealers who disappeared from the scene and could not be traced ever since. When contacted Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the wife of accused Ali Hassan Birohi told this correspondent that all the allegations against her husband are false, and unfounded. She also accused an FIA official of blackmailing the family.