LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has failed to retrieve a widow’s valuable property allegedly usurped through forged documents.

Despite the registration of first information report in March 2025, the ACE Faisalabad has yet to initiate action against the suspects.

Complainant Nafeesa Tariq, widow of Tariq Farooq Sandhu and a resident of Jinnah Colony, Faisalabad, reported that after her husband’s death in 2019 she became the sole legal heir to his estate as they had no children. Among these assets was a prime farmhouse located in Islamabad.

According to the FIR, the primary suspect conspired with several accomplices to create a fake general power of attorney. This fraudulent document bore the forged signatures and thumbprints of both the widow and her brother. The suspects in connivance with naib tehsildar verified the fake documents.

A sub-inspector is also named in the FIR for his role in the ‘conspiracy’. Using the forged authority, the prime suspect sold the property to a third party depriving the widow of her rightful inheritance.

“Months after the registration of the case following an internal inquiry, the investigation appears to have stalled,” the complainant said adding despite the clear evidence of forgery and the presence of a “paper trail” involving government officials, the ACE Faisalabad failed to retrieve the stolen property.

Nafeesa Tariq has appealed to the ACE chief to take notice of the matter and help her retrieve her property. An ACE spokesperson did not respond to Dawn’s query in this regard.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2026