KARACHI: A judicial magistrate issued a bailable warrant for the arrest of the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) in a case pertaining to his organisation’s failure to give possession of shops in one of their projects.

Ikramullah Khan, through his counsel, filed a direct complaint before the judicial magistrate IX (Malir) under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and submitted that his client had booked three shops in Bahria Heights Tower I for a total amount of Rs 20.9 million.

The counsel stated that the amount was to be paid in quarterly instalments, and it was agreed between the parties that once the full amount was paid, the possession of the shops would be handed over to the complainant.

The counsel further submitted that the firm had failed to comply with this obligation since 2019 and later his client found that Bahria Town CEO Ali Riaz Malik had allegedly sold the entire project to Shahnawaz Ayaz Durrani, which constitutes misappropriation of property and criminal breach of trust.

After examining the complaint and a report filed by the Gadap police station, the court took cognizance of the matter and issued a warrant against BTK CEO Ali Riaz Malik and Mr Durrani.

The court also directed them to join the trial and ordered them to each furnish a bond in the sum of Rs50,000 to satisfy the court.

“Given the circumstances and the evidence presented, I find sufficient grounds to take cognizance of the allegations of cheating and fraud as outlined in the complaint,” the court remarked.

It also noted that an inquiry report submitted before the court disclosed an ongoing civil suit between the parties. “The manager of operations at Bahira Town has acknowledged the existence of this civil suit but has not provided a definitive response regarding the status of the shops or the complainant’s ownership,” it added.

The magistrate adjourned the hearing till Jan 6, 2024 and directed the nominated persons to appear in court on the next date.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024