PESHAWAR, Sept 27: An intelligence team of the National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has arrested a gang of imposters involved in cheating and blackmailing people while pretending to be the Nab's investigation team.

According to a Nab statement here on Tuesday, the main culprit was identified as Arif Khan, a retired army major and resident of Mohallah Karim Khan Mayar, Mardan, who used to introduce himself as a major in the bureau.

Arif's other partner Mohammad Junaid, resident of Ismaila area of Swabi, was known in the group as the Nab's investigation officer accompanied by one Khan Zeb of Dhobian village in Swabi who was working in the group as an official driver-cum-gunman, according to the statement. It said that the group had succeeded in defrauding a number of people, but was apprehended while trying to catch a revenue official.

“On Friday, the gang went to the residence of Syed Shoran Shah at Utmanzai, Charsadda, who is working as Qanoongo BPS-14 in the Revenue Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and showed him fake files concerning inquiry initiated against him by the Nab for making assets through illegal means. He was asked to either face detention and freezing of his assets or pay them money as a 'plea bargain',” the Nab said. The statement said that Mr Shah requested the gang to give him a day or two for arranging the money and afterwards contacted a Nab official personally known to him for seeking his help.

“Finally, the Nab intelligence team caught the gang on Monday by giving them payment assurance by cell phone through Syed Shoran Shah,” the bureau said. — Bureau Report