BAHAWALNAGAR: Bahawalpur Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked all the staffers of Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) Dunga Bunga branch including the manager, besides arresting a mobile credit officer after a probe held them guilty of embezzlement in agriculture loan and misuse of powers.

As per the first information report (FIR) registered at the FIA’s Bahawalpur police station on January 22, ZTBL Dunga Bunga Mobile Credit Officer (MCO) Abid Ali Shah in connivance with Branch Manager Muhammad Arshad and other employees issued an agriculture loan worth Rs50,000 to an applicant, Zafarullah, of Mauza Natho Dhaka in 2017. During processing work for the loan, the suspects fraudulently took the thumb impressions of the applicant on different documents.

However, when the applicant visited the bank for returning the loan, he was shocked to know that actually a loan of Rs640,000 had been issued in his name.

The FIR said later the MCO confessed to have misappropriated Rs590,000 of the loan amount in front of a panchayat held on the complaint of Zafarullah. The MCO, in his confession, had also alleged that Branch Manager Arshad was also involved in the embezzlement and pledged in writing he would return the embezzled money till Sept 3, 2020.

However, he did not fulfill his promise, the FIR said.

The FIR added on the complaint of Zafarullah, filed on June 16, 2021, the office of the FIA Bahawalpur deputy director held an inquiry into the matter and found the both suspects guilty, resulting in registration of the case against them and other branch employees, whose role in the embezzlement would be determine during investigation.

FIA sources say that a majority of the MCOs and the BMs of ZTBL Bahawalnagar circle are involved in such malpractices, including showing fake recoveries of loans.

Inquiry Officer Bashir Khan told Dawn that the loan amount embezzled by ZTBL Bahawalnagar circle employees, including Muhammad Arshad, Akmal Bhatti, Matlub and Shuja Pasha, were returned to the victims.

He said MCOs Abdul Basit, Arshad and some others had been dismissed from service after embezzlement charges were proved against them, while many other probes were underway.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2022