KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested three officials of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) on charges of land grabbing, the anti-corruption organisation said in a statement released on Friday.

The three KDA officers who were taken into custody are Abdul Qavi Khan, former director KDA, Rashid Aqeel, director master plan and Muhammad Nasir Sheikh, additional director KDA, according to the statement issued by NAB.

Additionally, another individual was detained during the raids conducted by the NAB officials.

The KDA officers were allegedly involved in illegal construction, sale and purchase of plots on land reserved for water conduits and high tension lines of K-Electric in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar area of the metropolis.

The joint investigation team (JIT) composed of officers from NAB, Pakistan Rangers and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), had arrested two suspects earlier in the case. The information received from these suspects during interrogation led to the arrest of the accused officers, the statement elaborated.

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Land grabbing is a major issue in Karachi, and according to security officials it plays a major part in fueling the violence in the metropolis.

Since the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and the security operation in Karachi, local law enforcement forces have also focused on land grabbing cases and are trying to curb the practice in Karachi.