MUZAFFARABAD, April 6: The AJK police are hunting for an officer of a semi-autonomous institution facing three corruption cases after he escaped from his home in Mirpur on Friday.

Police had parked their vehicles in a way to block the road in front of the house of Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmed, former director (works) in Mirpur Development Authority (MDA). However, the accused sped his Prado jeep and after hitting one of the vehicles fled, Qazi Qadeer, an official of Ehtesab Bureau said.

He said the accused had fled to the neighbouring Jhelum district and police parties had launched a manhunt for him.

The accused was removed from MDA and made an OSD by Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed in July last year.

However, according to insiders, under the intense pressure of some Islamabad-based PPP leaders for restoration of the accused, Mr Majeed transferred and posted him as director (technical) in the cash-starved Development Authority Muzaffarabad (DAM).

The accused attended his office in DAM for just one day when he gave his joining report in the last week of October and a source said they were contemplating initiating disciplinary action against him for perpetual absence.

According to Mr Qadeer, the accused was facing charges of raising assets worth billions of rupees as well as tampering with the record of MDA which had badly affected the master plan of the city.

However, his arrest warrant on Friday was issued in connection with his bogus educational certificates, he said.

Meanwhile, Wasim Afzal, an assistant director in the industries department, was apprehended by the Ehtesab Bureau for possessing bogus educational degrees.

In yet another action, the bureau arrested Ashfaq Ahmed, former assistant education officer Barnala, for using a fake judgment of his exoneration on behalf of an Ehtesab court.