September 27, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 14, 1428

SIALKOT, Sept 26: Seven months have lapsed since the Double Shah’s illegal banking scam was unearthed, the government and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) are yet to plan passing on some relief to its affectees or at least legislating how to avoid recurrence of such scams in future.

Citizens and affectees of the Double Shah scam have urged the federal government to make a necessary legislation in this connection so that such illegal businesses cannot flourish again.

Many affectees told Dawn that Double Shah tempted them to get involved in his illegal banking business.They said besides making some laws, there was a need to create awareness among the masses so that they should not indulge in such illegal activities.

This was the second biggest scam in the country after the cooperative societies’.

Double Shah and his over 200 agents and sub-agents surfaced around two years ago and lured thousands of people from across Pakistan and abroad, who turned millionaire in weeks

or months just by depositing their money with the

illegal banking network.

Initially, labourers and industrial workers from Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala and Narowal districts started depositing their small amounts that got doubled in a few

weeks and this had enticed exporters, industrialists, traders and overseas Pakistanis to

jump in, giving a big boost to Double Shah’s glittering business and he became a billionaire.

Some affectees criticised the government for delaying action against Double Shah and his agents, and alleged that all this was going on under the nose of the government but it did not take any action on time.