KARACHI, March 6 An investigation officer on Saturday submitted a charge-sheet against three foreign exchange dealers in a forex scam case. The Federal Investigation Agency had arrested Zafar Paracha of the Paracha International Money Exchange (PIME) and two bothers, Rauf Ahmed Khan Lodhi and Farooq Ahmed Khan Lodhi, of the Lodhi Enterprises Ltd for their alleged involvement in the scam.The charge-sheet was submitted in the court of District and Sessions Judge (south) Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui.

According to the charge-sheet, the suspects illegally transferred an amount of over Rs3 billion abroad through 11 bogus accounts opened by them in different banks.

The investigation officer has named 30 prosecution witnesses in the charge-sheet. PIME director Salman Paracha, Mohammad Ashfaq of the Al-Hasan Money Exchange, Ahmed Mujtaba, Muneer Moti, Faisal and Babar have been shown as absconding accused.

Atif Polani has also been shown as accused in this case and the investigation officer has stated in the charge-sheet that Polani is already in jail custody in another case.

The court on Saturday accepted the charge-sheet for hearing and issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconding accused and directed the FIA to produce them in court on March 15.

Meanwhile, the detained suspects have moved bail applications in the court which would be also taken up for hearing on the next date.

A case (FIR 07/2010) was registered against all the suspects under Sections 5, 8, 22 and 23 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947, Sections 7, 8 and 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2007 and Sections 420, 467, 474, 477, 109 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.