FAISALABAD: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) registered a case against 10 people, including the district officer of the Rescue 1122 and former Saddar SHO, and administration of the Punjab Cattle Market Management and Development Company for setting up an illegal cattle market at Niamoana on the state land.

The case was registered on the complaint of City Assistant Commissioner Ayub Bukhari who had launched an operation and removed the illegal cattle market on June 27.

Submitting the application, Mr Bukhari alleged the illegal cattle market had been set up on the state land measuring 19.3 acres, which was allotted to the Rescue 1122 by the Punjab government. He said Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Ehtsham Wahla, Saddar SHO Ayub Sahi and others were responsible for helping the fraudsters set up the illegal cattle market.

He said the fraudsters had collected more than Rs15m from the cattle sellers and the visitors.

The ACE booked Ehtesham Wahla, computer operator Maqsood Ahmed, driver Asif Ali and private contractors Kashif Khan and his brother Wasif Khan under various sections of the PPC.

The FIR reads that role of the SHO, ASI Amjad, in-charge establishment branch of police department Zikaria, Ashraf Gondal, contractor of the cattle market and administration of the Punjab Cattle Market Management and Development Company would be determined in the investigation.

No arrest has been made in this case so far.

The application was forwarded to the ACE by AC Bukhari about a month ago.

Officials of the Rescue 1122 claimed the state land adjacent to the Niamona cattle market was being used for sale of the sacrificial animals by the land grabbers and extortionists for years.

They said at Chak 235-RB Niamona, approximately 40 acre land, including 10 acres of District Council, 12 acres of PHA and 19 acres of Punjab Emergency Service, was lying without any boundary.

The illegal cattle market is not only established on the land of the Rescue 1122 but also on the land of district Council and Parks and Horticulture Authority along with private owned land of about 10 acres, they claimed.

Three cases had been registered against this gang of fraudsters who extorted money from the sellers who had come to the market from different areas.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2021