RAWALPINDI: The City Police Officer (CPO) has suspended and detained the Station House Officer (SHO) and the investigating officer of Mandra police following allegations of embezzling large sums of foreign currency and other valuables. These items had been confiscated from an ex-official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and others.
The police are awaiting a formal complaint from the FIA to file an FIR against the officials allegedly involved in the embezzlement of foreign currency from the FIA headquarters in Islamabad.
On June 3, Mandra police arrested three suspects who were caught with case properties reportedly stolen from the FIA’s Commercial Bank Circle (FIA-CBC) at the G-13 headquarters. Sub-Inspector (SI) Aqueel Hussain, who is leading the investigation, recounted that while on duty at the Mandra toll plaza, he signaled a car with five occupants to stop. The driver sped away, leading to a brief chase. Upon stopping the vehicle, 19 parcels containing foreign and local currency and other valuables were discovered.
During the initial interrogation, the driver identified himself as Saad Anwar, a dismissed FIA official, with Mohammad Hamza in the front seat. Further investigation revealed that the suspects had stolen currency and valuables from the FIA’s CBC at the G-13 headquarters with the help of Abdullah Khan, Mehtab Ali, and Hassan.
The suspects, including Saad Anwar and Abdullah Khan, were arrested and handed over to Islamabad police. Raids are ongoing to capture the other two suspects, and the total amount stolen is still being estimated.
However, after the case registration, the FIA lodged a complaint with CPO Khalid Hamdani against Mandra police, accusing them of misappropriating the recovered money. An inquiry revealed that the police recovered Rs150 million but only recorded Rs50 million. The SHO, Malik Yasir, was unable to account for the discrepancy.
As a result, the CPO suspended SHO Malik Yasir and replaced him with Inspector Mohammad Nazir. The former SHO and other officials were then taken into custody. The FIA is in the process of filing a formal case against the implicated police personnel.
