KARACHI, Nov 29: A judicial magistrate (south) on Saturday sent a top official of a foreign exchange group into the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency on physical remand for his alleged involvement in a foreign exchange scandal till Dec 6.

The FIA arrested Hanif Kalia, chairman of the Kalia Group, in Clifton on Friday on a charge of illegally transferring abroad billions of dollars. His brother, Abdul Munaf Kalia, and Javed Khanani, directors of the Khanani and Kalia International, have already been in FIA custody on the same charge.

The suspect was produced before the court of the Xth judicial magistrate (south), Asif Ahmed, for remand amid strict security.

A case (76/08) was registered against the suspects under sections 5/8, 22/23 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947, read with sections 7, 8 and 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2007 and sections 420, 467, 471 and 477-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, at the FIA’s crime circle branch.—Staff Reporter