MIRPURKHAS: Police registered a case against mukhtiarkar of Hussain Bux Marri taluka on charges of selling relief goods, tents and blankets worth over Rs400,000 to a private person.

The case was filed against the mukhtiarkar Abdul Qayyoom Leghari at Town police station on a complaint lodged by Ghulam Rasool Babbar, an office assistant at the revenue office, on the directives of deputy commissioner Zainul Abideen Memon late on Monday.

Earlier in the day, a team of a private TV channel convinced the DC with the help of videos and other evidence that the mukhtiarkar had sold the relief goods to a private person. The DC called police to his office who placed the official under arrest.

The DC, meanwhile, wrote a letter to senior member of the Sindh Board of Revenue, Hyderabad, and informed him that the mukhtiarkar was found involved in misappropriation and embezzlement of government funds and resources and committed gross misconduct and misuse of authority.

He requested him to initiate a departmental inquiry against the official under Sindh Civil Servants (efficiency and discipline) Act, 1973, and place him under suspension till completion of the inquiry.

He sent another letter to Mirpurkhas SSP and asked him to conduct probe and take legal action against the mukhtiarkar under the Pakistan Penal Code.

DC seeks lists of relief recipients

The DC ordered assistant commissioners of Mirpurkhas, Hussain Bux Marri, Sindhri, Shujaabad, Digri, Jhuddo, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, and mukhtiarkars of Mirpurkhas, Hussain Bux Marri, Sindhri, Shaujaabad, Digri, Jhuddo and Kot Ghulam Mohammad talukas to verify lists of the recipients of flood relief material and send these to authorities concerned.

He said that the relief items were provided directly to ACs and mukhtiarkars to ensure timely provision of relief to flood victims in the wake of unprecedented rain and flood.

He directed the officials to verify the data and lists of all recipients of the relief, including ration bags, tents, mosquito nets, tarpaulin sheets distributed until Nov 28 and submit to the DC office.

He formed a committee comprising additional DC-II Prem Chand, office mukhtiarkar Ali Nawaz Samoo and office superintendent Mohammad Baksh Leghari to verify all data and lists of the recipients.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022