KARACHI, March 29: An accountability court remanded on Thursday a former regional commissioner of income tax, charged with corruption, to judicial custody. Judge Nuzhat Ara Alvi of AC-5 directed the jail authorities to produce the suspect before the court on April 2.

Abrar Ahmed, ex-regional commissioner and an absconder in a reference (24/6), was arrested late on Wednesday night by the National Accountability Bureau.

The reference against him pertained to heavy financial transactions and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.

Officials said the NAB conducted an investigation against him for living beyond known sources of means. During the investigation, a large number of bank accounts were discovered, which he had opened and was operating in the name of his immediate family members, they said.

The officials said the investigation further revealed that the accused had also opened and operated many fake bank accounts on different names, and his bank accounts reflected huge transactions.

They said the aggregate of income declared by the accused and his family members were much less than the huge amounts of money credited in the bank accounts. They said the accused and his family members could not justify these huge bank transactions.

Unexplained amounts of Rs150 million is alleged in the reference.