FIA nabs ‘Internet bank’ officials

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday arrested the officials of a ‘bank’ operating via the Internet that was accused of depriving thousands of people across the country of their money through its website.

FIA Assistant Director (Vigilance) Saleh Muhammad Khan told reporters that many people had complained to the FIA about a team of cyber criminals depriving them of their money through a website . He said the bank used to sell cards to clients who sold them onwards. The original buyer received some money every time the card changed hands.

The FIA official said the agency raided the office of Shahid Organization, a sub-office of the Internet bank, at Sikandarpura and recovered cards and gold cards in large number.

He said the organization’s owner Mumtaz Shahid and three other persons, Falak Niaz,Ilyas Khalil and Zewar Noor were arrested. He said the criminals had first formed a website and then Prime Gold Bank LTD and PB Pakistan and deprived educated youths of their money by offering them a lucrative chain-card system through which they could earn thousands of dollars every month. Mr Khan said the owner of the Internet bank was a former officer of a sensitive agency and hailed from Abbottabad while Tahir Awan of Rawalpindi was the so-called bank’s provincial manager and Sheikh Shahid its country manager.

He revealed that the bank’s Internet server was in the United States, its head office in London and a regional office in Dubai and the FIA would seek Interpol’s help for the arrest of the people involved. He said the so-called bank had deprived around 3,000 youths from the NWFP and 160,000 from all over the country of their money. He said anyone affected by the should contact FIA Crimes Circle Inspector Shahid Ilyas at his office on Warsak Road so that more evidence could be collected against the criminals. —Ghafar Ali

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