FAISALABAD, Dec 3: The scope of Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology probe could be expanded by involving the officers from various departments who remained attached with the project in different capacities, Dawn learnt here on Wednesday.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Faisalabad, arrested two executive engineers -- Khalid Mahmood and Ghulam Abbas -- and contractors Mahmood, Usman and Riasat on Tuesday in connection with the millions of rupees scam.

Meanwhile, Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Shabbir granted a four-day physical remand of the accused on charges of misappropriating public money and using substandard material in the construction of the institution.

ACE Circle Officer Babar Anwar produced the arrested officer before the judicial magistrate. The ACE has also arrested Zaffar, son of a contractor, Riasat Ali, who is at large.

ACE Director Nawazish Ali, who is the plaintiff and got registered the case against the accused, told Dawn that the engineers had been arrested after a thorough probe and they were given time to explain their conduct during the preliminary investigation. He said the scope of investigation might be expanded in the days to come.

Mr Ali also visited the institution’s building along with an executive engineer and three sub-engineers on Tuesday.

Listing defects in the construction in his application submitted to the ACE, Mr Ali mentioned badly fitted tiles, defective level of windows, ceilings and floors, cracks in walls, usage of inferior quality electric switches, damaged duct cover slab at rooftop, broken marble at steps and shelves, roof slab seepage, poor finishing of changing room, inferior construction of foot paths and cracks in the doctors’ hostel roof, etc.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who inspected the institution on Tuesday, has also ordered a probe into the use of substandard material and misappropriation of funds.

Besides, an SDO, Nazir Ahmad, and two sub-engineers, Shafqat Pervaiz and Zahid Latif, had also been nominated in the case. However, none of them could be arrested so far.

Mr Anwar said raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining accused.

Meanwhile, accused Ghulam Abbas told reporters that he was not issued any sort of notices regarding usage of substandard material. He said the chief minister’s inspection teams and provincial government secretaries had inspected the building a number of times but never levelled any allegations against him.