CHINIOT: The Chiniot City police have registered a case against 11 people, including a revenue patwari, for embezzling 8,000 flour bags.

The police have booked patwari Omair Nawaz, civil defence official Iqbal, Mulsim Flour Mills’ employee Zeeshan Ali, Mulazim Hussain, Amjad Hussain, Farooq Azam, Munawar Hussain, Fakhar Imam, Shaukat Ali, Sarfraz Ahmad, and Manzar Abbas on the application of assistant commissioner office’s clerk Muhammad Hassan.

According to the FIR lodged at the city police station under Sections 420 and 408 of the Pakistan Penal Code, some fake tokens were caught at a flour distribution point at the Government Islamia College, Chiniot.

An investigation revealed that Omair Nawaz was in charge of the record of tokens being issued to recipients of bags. He confessed to embezzling 7,000 to 8,000 tokens, resulting in a loss to the national exchequer to the tune of Rs5 million to Rs6 million.

Police have also arrested four people, and raids are on to arrest the remaining people.

In Chiniot district, 500,000 bags have been distributed so far by the staff. Assistant Commissioner Majid Bin Ahmad said that patwari has been suspended from service and an inquiry has also been initiated against him under the Punjab Employees Efficiency and Discipline Act.

The scam puts question marks on the mechanism of the state-run charity scheme.

Bar Secretary Shahid Yaqoob said that there might be more such facilitators in the revenue department and that a weak FIR under Sections 420 and 408 would not be sufficient, and the suspects may get relief from the courts.

He suggested a criminal case with the Anti-Corruption Establishment against them as they have not only caused the loss to national exchequer but also raised questions on the transparency of process of the flour distribution in Chiniot.

He demanded Caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi visit Chiniot and order a high level inquiry into the scam.

BOOKED: The Bhowana police booked its own sub-inspector, a constable and two others for torturing a widow and her daughter.

According to complainant Anwar Bibi from the Bhowana area, Muhammad Hayat, Noor Sultan and Shaukat Ali came to her house and started firing. Later, they broke into her house with sub-inspector Rana Rashid Ali and tortured her and her daughter, Aiman Bibi. They also tried to kidnap them. However, the neighbours rescued them.

The Bhowana police registered a case against the suspects under sections 337-H-2, 506, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested Noor Sultan and Muhammad Hayat.

The district police officer also ordered a departmental inquiry against the cops. Aiman said that the attackers were their cousins and wanted to snatch their agricultural property after the death of her father.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023