LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Tuesday arrested a senior police officer for embezzlement of funds.

The NAB arrested Gujrat’s former district police officer, SP Kamran Mumtaz, after he returned from Australia where he had gone to attend a professional course. He had been asked to join the case investigation.

According to NAB, SP Mumtaz is accused of embezzling Rs550 million under different heads, including petrol bills, allowances and Shuhadaa (martyrs) funds, of the police department during his posting as Gujrat DPO (2015-16).

“The bureau had called the suspect (SP) from abroad to join the investigation,” a NAB official said, adding that Mr Mumtaz would be presented before an accountability court here on Wednesday for physical remand.

The NAB has written to the establishment division to also call Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Zafar Chatha from abroad who is required to join the investigation.

Another senior officer, SSP Rai Ijaz is already in NAB custody facing charges of causing a loss of Rs700 million to the exchequer through alleged misappropriation of police funds during his posting as Gujrat DPO. According to NAB, Mr Ijaz spent funds of Rs1.3 billion in eight months and allegedly misappropriated millions of rupees. He is also accused of involvement in appointment of “ghost” police constables.

Ijaz’s father Rai Zameer, a former DPO of Gujrat, is also wanted in this case, but he has been absconding for the last one month or so. The NAB has not yet succeeded in tracking him down.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2019