RAHIM YAR KHAN: Fake stamp papers worth millions were sold to various vendors in Rahim Yar Khan district. The papers were delivered by an inter-district gang that was arrested a few months back from Multan.

According to sources in the District Accounts Office (DAO), a letter was sent to them on July 24 by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Bahawalpur director wherein they were asked to verify the serial numbers of 20 stamp papers -- copies of the papers were attached with the letter – and confirm if they were issued by the office or not.

But a treasury officer of the DAO disclosed the matter to the stamp vendors who had received the fake stamp papers. Later, two reminder letters were also sent by ACE Bahawalpur office to the DAO that dispatched its response on Aug 3 that none of the stamp papers mentioned had been issued by this office.

The sources said that these 20 fake stamp papers had been further sold to people by six vendors, who were identified as Muhammad Shakoor, Muhammad Irfan, Zahid Hussain, Waqar Azeem Soomro, Jam Khalid Iqbal and Irfan Ali Malik -- who is not a licenced vendor.

DAO tells ACE 20 stamp papers sent for verification not issued by them

A few months back, the ACE Multan had arrested a six-member inter-provincial gang from Multan, Vehari and Khanewal and recovered 84,000 fake stamp papers of Punjab, Khyber Pakthunkhwa and the Islamabad Capital Territory worth Rs3.9 million.

During investigation, the arrested suspects had disclosed that their ringleader Latif Ansari alias Latif Qadri had established an illegal business of stamp papers in different districts.

The gang sold fake stamp papers of different denominations worth Rs9m to a stamp vendor of Rahim Yar Khan in the last few years, who later sold them to many other vendors.

A DAO staff member told this correspondent that if the additional deputy commissioner (revenue) checked the record of stamp vendors in the district, he could find out how much loss had been caused to the exchequer.

A source said that the six suspected stamp vendors were trying to get this case disposed of by bribing the investigators.

District Accounts Officer Navid Arshed confirmed that his office had responded to the ACE Bahawalpur letter regarding fake stamp papers, but refused to provide any details. When he was questioned about the many written complaints registered in his office about the sale of such papers and no action taken in response, he said he had instructed his subordinates to address the issue.

ACE Bahawalpur Director Imran Raza Abbasi was contacted twice, but an operator said Mr Abbasi suggested the correspondent meet him in Bahawalpur to get his response.

Additional District Commissioner (Revenue) Dr Jahanzeb Hussain Labar did not respond to phone calls despite repeated attempts.

The officer investigating the issue, ACE Bahawalpur Deputy Director Muhammad Saleem, told Dawn that the probe was still under way because they had not received a report from the Bahawalnagar region yet. He said he would again verify the reply from the DAO and prepare the findings.

He added that he would also check the record of all those suspected of buying and selling fake stamp papers. However, he did not respond to the question about bribing of ACE officials by the six identified vendors for disposal of the case.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2019