DADU: A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team on Wednesday raided the Dadu district accounts office and arrested an official in connection with a Rs120 million scam.

According to NAB’s Sukkur region deputy director Masood Ahmed, who led the raid, the money belonged to deceased federal and provincial employees and had been drawn from various banks by the suspect, Mohammad Ali Panhwar, during his posting at Naushahro Feroze as the district accounts officer. During the investigation, the suspect was found involved in the embezzlement of Rs120 million in connivance with some other officials, said Mr Ahmed.

The NAB team also took the Dadu district accounts office record in custody and continued the investigation against 20 officials. Details of their immoveable properties in Dadu, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, Thatta and Karachi, as well as abroad, are being collected, sources in the Sukkur NAB said, adding that the bureau was also working on information that between Rs100 and Rs300 million was being siphoned off every month through forgery and other illegal practices from government employees funds in the Dadu accounts office. The suspects might also have been investing the money in properties purchased in the names of their relatives, associates and agents over the past seven years, said the sources.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015