DADU, June 8: The administration of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Dadu region, has arrested 20 growers out of 183 nominated in a case with a former manager and mobile credit officer of the bank’s Sita Road branch.

The bank manager had lodged the case with the FIA, banking circle, Karachi, against 183 growers, former manager Aftab Ahmad Kolachi and former mobile credit officer Mazhar Bughio.

The bank officials were accused of giving loans to the growers through fraudulent means.

The FIA has issued notices to nominated accused for recording their statements and seized the bank record from 1993 to 2003 after conducting a raid.

Out of Rs1 billion loan, only Rs130 million was recovered from growers during the fiscal year 2002-2003.

Earlier, the ZTBL, Dadu region, had issued notices to 9,000 defaulters of Dadu, Bhan Saeedabad, Sehwan Sharif, Johi, Sita Road, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar and Radhan branches of the bank under sections 81 and 82 of the Land Revenue Act to recover the amount.

ZTBL and revenue officials had allegedly withdrawn Rs20 million in names of 183 growers by issuing fake passbooks of lands.

A team, constituted by the ZTBL chairman to conduct an inquiry into the fraud, in a visit found that lands shown in passbooks in the names of growers were non-existent.

The chairman dismissed the branch manager and the mobile credit officer from service.

Talking to this correspondent, the regional manager of the ZTBL, Nabi Bux Bhayo, said departmental investigation had been initiated against other officials of the branch. He said a letter had also been sent to a senior member of the Board of Revenue, Sindh, in this regard.

Man drowns: A man, Mohammad Amin, drowned while taking bath in the River Indus near the Shah Panjo forest on Saturday.

His body was not recovered till the filing of this report.

SUICIDE: A villager, Niaz Bughio, 34, committed suicide by taking pesticide over a domestic problem in Khairodero village, Sehwan taluka on Saturday.