Large-scale housing scam unearthed in Islamabad society

ISLAMABAD: Investigators examining the Islamabad Cooperative Housing Society case have identified what officials described as one of the country’s largest housing frauds, with nearly 36,000 plot files allegedly issued without sufficient land to back them.

According to officials involved in the inquiry by the National Accountability Bureau’s Rawalpindi-Islamabad chapter, the society’s approved Layout Plan and available land bank could support only about 6,000 files. Investigators allege, however, that former office-bearers and facilitators issued around 42,000 files, creating a large shortfall between the land available and the allotments promised to buyers. They described the case as one of the biggest housing frauds in Pakistan’s history.

Officials said around 36,000 of the files issued so far have been identified as illegal, excessive or unsupported by the land available. The findings have raised questions over alleged fraud, mismanagement and misuse of authority over a period of years.

The inquiry has also found that full payment and allotment records for thousands of files are either missing or unavailable. Investigators say many members of the public were allegedly sold plot files for land that did not exist, did not have legal approval or was never properly documented.

Officials familiar with the case said the gap between the society’s land bank and the number of files issued indicates that fake, duplicate and excessive files may have been used in a systematic manner to collect billions of rupees from citizens. So far, investigators have detected financial irregularities of more than Rs16 billion, though officials believe the amount may rise as records and financial transactions are examined further.

Seven suspects arrested

NAB officials confirmed that seven suspects connected to the former management committee and a land dealing company have been arrested in the case. Those taken into custody are former Secretary General Mehdi Khan Shakir, former Treasurer Malik Muhammad Nawaz, former Executive Member Muhammad Arshad, and four individuals linked to Land Stock Dealing Point Company: Munir Akhtar, Ali Mahmood, Yameen Malik and Ghulam Jillani.

The Accountability Court in Islamabad has granted NAB seven-day physical remand of the accused to allow investigators to continue the probe, recover documentary evidence, trace financial transactions and identify other alleged facilitators.

Officials associated with the inquiry said the case may widen as investigators review the role of other individuals tied to the society’s administration, land management and financial affairs.

They added that separate teams are working on different aspects of the case to speed up the investigation. More arrests are expected as the probe moves forward.