Multibillion rupee M6 land scam case transferred to NAB.

HYDERABAD -- Anti-corruption (provincial) Special Judge Zahoor Ahmed Hakro on Tuesday transferred the multibillion rupee land scam case of M6 Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway from Anti-Corruption Establishment to National Accountability Bureau over the federal graft agency's request.

The NAB prosecutor had filed an application to this effect in the court in December last year.

The land scam surfaced in November last year when over Rs3 billion were withdrawn in cash by then assistant commissioner of Saeedabad, Mansoor Abbasi, from Sindh Bank. The Sindh government conducted a fact-finding probe which led to the arrest of Matiari DC Adnan Rasheed. Later, Abbasi and Sindh Bank area manager Tabish Shah were also arrested.

A similar land scam was reported in M6 project in Naushahro Feroze district. Then DC Tashfeen Alam Khan had since fled the country. Sindh Bank officials in Naushahro Feroze were arrested by Federal Investigating Agency (FIA).

The Sindh government launched probes in both cases and their reports were submitted to the departments concerned.

Suspect remanded in NAB custody

The NAB arrested one Ashiq Hussain Kaleri in Karachi on Jan 21 in connection with inquiry into M6 land scam of Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway and claimed to have recovered Rs137,590,000 from his possession.

He was produced before administrative judge of accountability court Hyderabad on Monday, which remanded him in NAB custody for seven days till Jan 31.

Kaleri's counsel, Ayaz Tunio, claimed that the court ordered medical examination of the suspect after he filed a separate application, claiming that he was maltreated in NAB custody. He was not allowed to sleep, said the counsel quoting his client.

Tunio said that the court also ordered investigating officer (IO) of NAB to provide him medicines he needed.

The suspect, according to NAB's IO, was involved in the same scam and he had sought his 13 days remand in the bureau's custody.

The IO said that the suspect was under investigation in the case involving then Matiari DC, Adnan...