MANSEHRA: The National Accountability Bureau is likely to arrest the suspects in the Mansehra Haj scam in light of the recent inquiry conducted by its team.

A group led by a woman allegedly received Rs190,000 each from around 400 people to send them on Haj but went underground at the time of the departure to Saudi Arabia last year.

The investigation team of the NAB Peshawar offices completed inquiry into the matter after recording the statements of around 300 victims of the alleged fraud at the New Circuit House here.

The investigators returned on Thursday.

Tariq Hussain, a victim of the alleged fraud, told reporters here that the complainants had submitted the Haj-related documents to the NAB team hoping for the early arrest of fraudsters.

He said the group deceived the people insisting a Saudi charity sponsored half of the financial package of the deserving intending pilgrims and therefore, it received from Rs170,000 to Rs180,000 each from them.

Another complainant, Mohammad Younis, said the group had deceived the people and received over Rs50 million in April last year but didn’t return the money.

He demanded the immediate arrest of the alleged fraudsters and early return of money.

ENUMERATOR KILLED IN ACCIDENT: A teacher given the task of enumerator in the ongoing population census was killed and an army soldier and driver suffered critical injures when their jeep fell into a deep ravine in Khun area of Mansehra on Thursday.

The census team was on the way to the mountainous Sathangalli area to number houses, mosques, seminaries, schools and other buildings.

The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the jeep negotiating a sharp turn.

The teacher, Abdul Qadir, died instantly. He along with soldier Noorul Haq and driver Mohammad Farhan were shifted to a hospital in Battle.

The doctors referred Noorul Haq to the Combined Military Hospital Abbottabad and driver Farhan to the Shinkiari Civil Hospital due to critical condition.

The Shinkiari police registered an FIR and began investigation to the accident.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2017