THATTA: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh, has finalised its report on alleged misappropriation of Rs250 million in the Thatta district police office and recommended filing of reference against certain suspects, it was learnt through reliable sources on Thursday.

A NAB team conducted a thorough inquiry into the matter during the last several months before submitting its report to NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

The scam was unearthed by former Thatta SSP Faisal Abdullah Chachar last year and reported to the office of the provincial police chief through the then Hyderabad DIG, Sultan Khawaja.

The inquiry found that the hefty amount of Rs250m was misappropriated under the head of salaries paid to 350 “ghost” officers and personnel of the district police while it was headed by SSP Mohammed Ali Wassan.

Payment of salaries to the ghost employees every month caused a huge loss to the exchequer, the report suggested.

It found that those involved in the alleged scam also drew money from the GP fund and also loans from such employees’ bank accounts.

During the initial stage of the inquiry, DIG Khawaja had suspended head moharar Azam Gopang and operators of the account branch Adnan Shaikh, Hafiz Ali Asghar Peerzado, Wasim Kalhoro, Sher Dahri and Wasim Bari.

A sheet clerk, Sattar Solangi, and accountant, Raja Shahid Rajput, were made to seek forced retirement.

NAB had taken record of the SSP office in custody and statements of officials of the bank and treasury office concerned. It also collected information about the assets of suspects involved in the scam while working at the district police office in Makli.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2019