The army on Wednesday said it had dismissed from service a major involved in theft of copper wire from a freight train.
“Major Ayub, who was found guilty of theft of copper wire in a Railway bogie has been dismissed from the service,” an ISPR statement said. “The dismissed officer has also been ordered to deposit his share of the embezzled amount in the government treasury,” it said. The ISPR had earlier confirmed that the major had been arrested for involvement in the crime that was committed in Punjab. The confirmation by the army came after TV news channels reported that the arrested officer was serving with an intelligence agency, though there was no official word on this. Pakistan Railways officials said a train with a large consignment of copper wire, which was going from Khanewal to Lahore, was diverted to Kharian, where cargo worth millions of rupees was stolen. Apart from the major, five other people, including a Railways official were also arrested in connection with the theft of copper wire consignment.