MANSEHRA: The local police have booked a couple over Haj scam.

“We have lodged an FIR against Mohammad Sajjad and wife Shahnaz Begum, who fraudulently received over Rs40 million from more than 400 people for sending them on Haj but disappeared at the time of their departure to Saudi Arabia last year,” deputy superintendent of police Zulfiqar Khan Jadoon told reporters here on Friday.

He said intending Hajis paid Rs170,000 each to the couple backed by an ‘influential mafia’ and that the money defrauded was much more than Rs40 million.

The DSP said though the Federal Investigation Agency and National Accountability Bureau were also looking into the fraud, the police had lodged a case against the couple over the non-encashment of bank cheques given to the intending Hajis.

“This is the biggest financial scam in the history of Mansehra district. More and more people are approaching us for inclusion of their names in the FIR as complainants,” he said.

Also in the day, the police busted a gang of robbers and seized stolen goods.

Mr. Jadoon said the arrested men were involved in several robberies in various districts of the province.

STONE CRUSHING PLANTS SEALED: The tehsil administration on Friday sealed two illegal stone crushing plants in Garlat area of Balakot.

Local assistant commissioner Zakir Hussain sealed the plants on the complaints of local people.

The complainants, including Munsaf Khan, Khalid Shah Farman and Abdul Rasheed, had filed applications with the tehsil administration saying the two plants installed in a densely populated area along the Kunhar River were causing noise and air pollution.

The AC told reporters that the administration would continue crackdown on stone crushing plants illegally operating in residential areas.

HOTI DUE: Former chief minister and ANP provincial president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti will visit Judbah, the district headquarters of Torghar, today (Saturday) to address a public meeting.

ANP district president Shahzad Shah told reporters that a large crowd of party workers and supporters would attend the public meeting.

He said Mr. Hoti’s government had granted the status of a settled district to Torghar and approved a Rs4 billion development package for it.

Published in Dawn January 28th, 2017