MULTAN, April 2: The Anti-Corruption Establishment has started regular inquiry against six government officials and lodged a case against 10 others, four of them private persons, on corruption charges.

Besides, the ACE has issued warrants for the arrest of a girdawar on the same charge.

Those facing probe are the Multan Development Authority deputy director, a tehsildar, SHO, head clerk, qanoongo and a patwari.

According to the ACE sources, Luddan tehsildar Muhammad Azhar Wattoo, qanoongo Kausar Ali, patwari Bashir Ahmad and Vehari SHO Iftikhar Rasool allegedly committed forgery to deprive Hafeezur Rahman Khan of his landed property.

They were found guilty of the charge in the preliminary probe and now a regular inquiry has been ordered against them.

The ACE has initiated a similar action against MDA Deputy Director (Administration) Ziauddin, head clerk Nasir Tanvir and stamp vendor Muhammad Saeed on the charge of bungling in allotment of plots.

Warrants for arrest of girdawar Muhammad Iqbal have been issued for taking bribe worth Rs16,000 from Safdar Husain of Karor Lal Eisan, Layyah, for partition of joint property.

The regular inquiry has also been ordered against Mian Channu Ushr and Zakat Committee chairman Muhammad Iqbal and vice-chairman Haq Nawaz, who are accused of appropriating funds worth hundreds of thousands of rupees.

Some 10 people, six of them government officials, have been booked by the ACE. They include four patwaris, girdawar, a union council secretary and four private persons.

Sources said Abid Husain, patwari of Seeta Ram (Muzaffargarh), allegedly took Rs5,000 bribe from Muhammad Tayyab of Gujrat for registering a land mutation of his daughter. He also demanded Rs30,000 additional from him.

Girdawar Muhammad Ishaq and patwari Abid Husain allegedly deprived Wariam Chadhar, of Kot Addu, of land he had inherited from his deceased wife, Jannat. They transferred the property to the name of some other person.

A court of law decided the case in Chadhar's favour, but the accused sold out the land (7.5 kanals) for a paltry Rs35,000 against its real value of Rs300,000.

Patwari Hasnain Iqbal of Hassanpur Taror, Muzaffargarh, allegedly took Rs7,000 bribe for recording mutation of a nine kanals and 11 marlas from Munir Ahmad Bhatti.

Patwari Muhammad Anwaar, of Mauza Moondh, Muzaffargarh, in collusion with Dilawar Husain, tampered with the record by writing off the mutation of six kanals and 15 marlas in favour of the daughter of complainant, Wazir Ahmad Sandela.

She had received the land from her husband, Muhammad Bilal, at the time of marriage as dowry.

A UC secretary in Muzaffargarh, Imran Hyder Shah, allegedly conspired with Ghulam Nazuk to prepare fake documents. He also took Rs5,000 as illegal gratification for issuing a copy of the same document.-APP