Another scam has surfaced in University of Karachi where a clerk of a department sold scrap of varsity to a scrap dealer in Ayub Goth against Rs 190,000 at official documents, but high-ups refused any such dealing.
The said clerk has collected Rs 110,000 from the scrap dealer and fled away. Later, the scrap dealer approached the varsity high-ups after the clerk’s suspicious disappearance but the university excused while accepting the fraudster as its employee. The said varsity employee has also used his nick name Sami Sheikh, however, his real name is Usman Sheikh, it has been learnt reliably.
On December 26, 2010, Usman Sheikh called Muhammad Siddique, the owner of Siddiqui Traders, to visit the site where the varsity scrap was dumped. After the visit, the said clerk told Muhammad Siddique that the varsity had sold this scarp in bidding to a person namely Irfan against Rs 1,75,000 and asked him to take out the scrap in 15 days but he could not arrange the amount for the said purpose. The official asked him to purchase the scrape as the person who had purchased the scarp in bidding wanted to sale the material to pay off the varsity. Muhammad Siddique made a final dear for Rs 190,000.
On December 26, 2010, Muhammad Siddique gave Usman Shiekh Rs 1,000 as a token money. Usman also wanted him to pay further amount of Rs 90,000 within a week. Following the deal, Muhammad Siddique submitted Rs 89,000 to an alleged varsity account on December 29, 2010. Later, Siddique paid 20,000 more to Usman Sheikh and said the remaining amount would be paid when the scrap will be handed over to him.
After hectic chase, this scribe got Muhammad Siddique in a small scar shop in Ayub Goth. He narrated his story as under: There is Zhob PCO in Ayub Goth which was run by a Quetta resident. One day, he came to me and said there was a scrap available in varsity which may give me a lot of profit. Initially, I refused his offer saying that I am a small dealer and can not purchase the scarp of huge amount. However, he convinced me by saying that this deal can change my fate and after few days, I showed my interest. Then he took me to a sun glass shop Dashtyar Apartment where I saw Usman Sheikh, but he introduced himself as Sami Sheikh. Usman took me to university for visit where he showed me the scrap, which I consider valuable. It was December 26, when I paid him Rs 1,000 as token money and after three days, I deposited another Rs 89,000 to a university account.
After passing few days, I also deposited Rs 20,000 to the same account and asked Usman Sheikh that the remaining payment would be made at the time of delivery. As the time passed, I called him for gate pass but he did not respond to my repeated calls. Then I approached the middle-man, Zhob PCO owner, who later helped me in locating Usman Sheikh. However, we got him and he apologized for his behaviour and promised that he would not commit any such mistake in future.
One day he called me on Sunday and asked me to take out the scrap without gate pass. I insisted that I will not take out the scrap until you provide me the authority pass. Then he asked me to wait for few days for the gate pass, but he again misled me. After few days, he again called me on Sunday and asked me to get the scrap removed but I again refused and demanded gate pass for delivery of the scrap.
After passing few days, he went missing mysteriously. One day, I heard a news that he was arrested by Mobina Town police for selling varsity busses against Rs 3 million illegally. I could not see him since then. I had paid Rs 110,000 to Usman Sheikh. I approached the university high-ups with proofs that he sold me the scrap on official documents by showing him Purchase Officer. However, the university accepted that Shiekh was its employee but they refused to accept this deal.”
An official of the varsity, who requested not to be named, told Pakistan Today that Usman Sheikh was clerk in Bureau of Composition, Compilation and Translation (BCC&T) but he was suspended. He said the said suspended clerk was arrested for selling university point busses against Rs 3 million. He said Shiekh was sent to jail but few days before I saw him moving on university premises with his friends.
When approached, KU Purchase Officer SM Arshad for comments said the varsity did not sale its scrap to any person. When he was asked that the deal had been made on its official documents and there were signatures of the concerned department, he replied these were fake documents and stamps. You can also make such documents by your own, he said. The said person (clerk) did not work in the purchase department, he added.
When he was shown receipts of deposit of money to university account, he said there is an official account of the varsity in National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Karachi University Branch, and the account number mentioned in the receipt did not match with official account. The varsity did not sale its scrap to any dealer, he added.