PESHAWAR, November 8: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken four more suspects into its custody for seven days each in connection with the alleged embezzlement of over Rs37 billion from the Upper Kohistan district accounts office.
Two of the suspects, contractors Gul Zada and Nawabzada, were produced before Judge Hamid Mughal, while Syed Jamil and Syed Naseer appeared before Judge Ali Gohar. Special prosecutors Habibullah Baig and Khizar Hayat told the courts that the suspects were arrested in Kohistan and Abbottabad a day earlier.
Prosecutors claimed the suspects were linked to the prime accused, Qaiser Iqbal, a head clerk in the Communication and Works Department, and involved in multi-million rupee transactions traced in their bank accounts. Gul Zada allegedly received Rs251.8 million, Nawabzada Rs180 million, Syed Jamil Rs104 million, and Syed Naseer Rs94 million. The NAB emphasized that the four suspects were required for further investigation.
So far, NAB KP has arrested 32 individuals, including Qaiser Iqbal and his wife, who remain in custody. According to the bureau, officials of the Communication and Works Department, Upper Kohistan, in collusion with the district accounts office and the National Bank of Pakistan branch, allegedly misappropriated funds through bogus withdrawals in the name of contractors who had not executed any civil work.
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The scam reportedly involved illegal withdrawals exceeding Rs37 billion from the “Contractors Security Deposit Head” of account G-10113. NAB officials said the accused created falsified documentation to siphon funds from the government treasury.
The accountability courts have also confirmed NAB orders freezing dozens of movable and immovable assets, including luxurious residences, commercial plazas, vehicles, cash, and foreign currency notes. Several properties allegedly belong to Mohammad Riaz, a bank cashier turned contractor, and his close relatives. Riaz had reportedly established construction companies under the names of his six brothers and later his own name after resigning from the bank.
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