Basit Gilani
In a significant operation, city police in the Hangu district, working in conjunction with intelligence agencies, have apprehended a group involved in producing counterfeit Pakistani identity cards.
The police disclosed that this scam involved 14 individuals, including the village council secretary and NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) officials. So far, 6 suspects have been arrested, while the hunt continues for the remaining 8 involved.
District Police Officer Hangu, Nisar Ahmad Khan, shared during a press conference held alongside SDPO Amjad Hussain and SHO Fayyaz Khan, that the operation unfolded when they received a tip about an Afghan migrant named Mutiullah, hailing from Afghanistan's Khost province. He was attempting to obtain a Pakistani identity card under the alias "Ahmad Zia." The police promptly intervened, leading to Mutiullah's arrest.
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Subsequent investigations unveiled that the Afghan suspect had transferred 900,000 rupees through an agent, Zahoor, also known as Siddiqui, to acquire a Pakistani identity card. This intricate scheme involved the complicity of 14 individuals, including the Village Council Secretary, Waleed ur Rehman, and a NADRA official named Khalid.
DPO Nisar Ahmad Khan revealed that the suspects deceived an elderly woman, Aqal Bibi, by falsely claiming to provide zakat, then escorted her to the NADRA office, where they took her thumbprints and added the Afghan migrant to her family tree.
Among the 14 accused individuals, authorities have successfully apprehended Matiullah, an Afghan national from Khost, as well as Pervez Khan, Islam Badshah, Village Council Secretary Waleed, Muhammad Zahoor, and Abid Javed. The search is ongoing for the remaining 8 suspects, including NADRA's Kohat office officials Khalid, Abdul Qadir, Jamal, Muhammad Kamran, Ikramullah, Muhammad Anas, Sher Akbar, and Muhammad Saeed.