LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau, Lahore, has arrested four bankers and a urea dealer in connection with Rs1.6 billion National Fertilizer Marketing Ltd (NFML) case.

According to NAB, Tauqeer Hasan (Manager MCB, LHR), Muhammad Farooq Khan (Operations Manager, MCB, LHR), Farooq Ehsan Bhatti (Ex-Manager, HBL, Sialkot), Muhammad Yasir Nazir (Operations Manager, HBL, Sialkot) and Abdul Rehman Bhatti, urea dealer, NFML, have been arrested on allegations of forgery and fraud, misuse of authority and causing loss to the national exchequer.

The accused, in connivance with others, helped the dealers purchase more than 59000 metric ton of urea in back dates on rates less than the ones applicable at that time. The arrested bank officers facilitated the urea dealers in this criminal act by filling cheques in back dates.

This act of the accused persons created artificial shortage in the market and caused panic among the farmers, it said.

The accused were remanded into physical custody till Dec 8.

The NAB has already arrested 10 accused in this case.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2015