TAXILA: The education department Attock with the assistance of the local administration and police busted a three-member gang which allegedly swindled millions of rupees from citizens by offering them jobs in the education department.

According to sources, the group was led by a woman while an official of the education department was also hands in gloves with them.

“Through an operation along with police and the local administration, we have netted the ringleader, a woman, who allegedly minted millions of rupees from people mostly belonging to Boota village near Attock by offering them jobs, and even issuing them appointment letters, in different schools of Union Council Akhori,” chief executive officer District Education Authority Dr Javaid Iqbal told mediapersons on Sunday.

The racket received money from people of Fatehjang and Attock and when they demanded their money back after failing to get any job, the woman along with the clerk posted at the office of the district officer secondary education and a stamp maker issued them fake appointment letters.

Mr Iqbal said the racket came under spotlight when a man identified as Abdul Khaliq visited the education office with an appointment letter of his brother Mohammad Usman as a Class- IV in a government girls’ school at Akhori. He said on verification the letter was found fake.

He said a committee was constituted, comprising district education officer secondary Mohammad Ikram Zia and deputy district officer Taqqi Abbas, which gathered information and recorded statements of about nine victims.

He said the operation, which was led by Assistant Commissioner Jannat Hussain Nekokara, led to the arrest of the ringleader.

He said police also nabbed two accomplices of the ringleader, including the clerk of the education department, while stamps, fake letterheads and appointment letters were also recovered from the gang.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2020