July 16, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 12, 1429

GUJRANWALA, July 15: The anti-corruption establishment (ACE) has registered a case against 20 people, including two sub registrars, a qanoongo, revenue patwaris, lumberdars and clerks, and summoned them on July 18 along with record.

Dawn learnt here on Tuesday that a scam of landgrabbing and later transferring it to other people in connivance with the registry branch officials and revenue officers surfaced in Kamoki tehsil office.

Reports said a citizen, Asif Bhatti, filed an application with ACE director Zafar Abbas Bukhari, stating that his 20-marla land worth Rs5 million was grabbed by some influentials who later sold it to other people in connivance with revenue officers following preparing fake documents.

Mr Bukhari got conducted an inquiry into the matter and ordered registration of a case. ACE circle officer Rana Mahmoodul Hassan registered a case against magistrate (sub registrar) Sheikh Najeeb Aslam, registry moharrar Rana Navid, tehsil office clerk Shaukat Ali Toor, former revenue patwari Zakaullah and two others Abbas Raza and Piran Ditta Awan under sections 420, 471, 468 and 407 of the PPC.

The ACE circle office has summoned them on July 18 along with record for further interrogation.

On the complaint of another citizen Muhammad Arshad of Akbar Town, City Kamoki police have also registered a case against former regional transport authority secretary (sub registrar) Ishratullah Niazi, revenue patwari Rana Abdul Jabbar, registry moharar Rana Navid, lumberdar Muhammad Jamil, stamp paper writer Hafiz Ahmad Raza besides Akram, Iqbal, Anwer and Irfan etc.

Mr Arshad in his complaint said that the accused grabbed his plot worth Rs200,000 and later transferred it to other people by making fake documents.

One Muhammad Tufail of Kamoki filed a complaint with the deputy district officer (revenue) stating that landgrabbers had sold his house to Imran, Irfan, Aziz and Amir in connivance with the registry branch officials through forged documents.

Likewise, one Jamila bibi in her application to the same revenue officer said that landgrabbers sold her house to another woman through bogus documents. An inquiry in this case is under way.

Qanoongo Zakaullah was also booked by the ACE circle officer on corruption charges when complainant Rana Muhammad Siddiq said that Zaka received Rs80,000 from him but neither he processed his case nor returned the money. Meanwhile, citizens have urged the Punjab chief minister to visit Gujranwala and Kamoki and look into the affairs of the registry branch and revenue office.