The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) – Karachi has arrested government officials and construction contractors on Friday for usurping 358 plots of land.
Sharing details of the arrest with the media, NAB Karachi Media Cell Incharge Rizwan Soomro said that a reference had been filed against the accused in their criminal management of the Pak Punjab Cooperative Housing Society Ltd.
The usurped land comprised of 25 acres situated in Sector 24-A, Scheme 33, Karachi.
Those arrested include former society secretary Sajid Ali Khan Yousufzai, former Sindh cooperation department assistant registrar Mirza Munir Baig, Gulshan-II Sub-Registrar Khudadad Khan, Muhammad Arif, and Adnan.
According to Soomro, the accused were arrested early on Friday during raids conducted in different parts of the metropolis.
The NAB official said the arrested were being charged for having usurped the plots by cancelling the allotments of land-buyers and enrolling new illegal buyers under the name of a bogus society (which included employees of the Sindh Workers Welfare Board).
They were also said to be indulged in the illegal sale and transfer of society plots to the arrested builders in return for graft and are therefore being charged with corruption and the misuse of authority.
The builders apprehended during the raid included Riaz Ilyas of Falaknaz Builders, Amir Ali Shah and Muhammad Iqbal of Platinum Builders, and Muhammad Arif of Sanober Builders.
The above builders were said to have allegedly developed (including construction work) various illegal housing and commercial projects on the land of the society and earning billions illegally as a result of the projects.
The NAB official said of the 33 individuals nominated under Reference No. 6/2017, 13 were on bail and five of those accused had been arrested on Friday.
Fifteen of the remaining accused are still at large, he said, adding that the NAB had formed special teams for their arrest.
