Fraudsters make internet calls using name of top anti-graft body in Sindh

Karachi: Officers associated with different government-run institutions in Sindh have received internet calls by the fraudsters using the name of the top anti-corruption official of the province to extort money.

This is not the first such instance as earlier the National Accountability Bureau said a fraudster based abroad was using the name of its Chairman to illegally receive money.

The Chairman of Enquiries & Anti-Corruption Establishment (E&ACE) in Sindh, Dr Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh, said fraudsters have been using his name to extort money from the unsuspecting officials.

The swindlers have been contacting officials associated with a number of government departments, quasi-government institutions, and autonomous agencies in Sindh to extort hundreds of thousands of rupees after pressurising them.

The E&ACE Chairman said the fraudsters using his name tried to create the false impression that he bore the authority to directly interfere in the working of any government department.

He said that such calls made from the Internet had nothing to do with him or his staff.

He said that no official of the E&ACE had the authorisation to directly call any government officer and put pressure on him.

Dr Shaikh warned the fraudsters that using his name during a fake call conversation was an unlawful act that was punishable under the Pakistani law.

He said the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency had been contacted to initiate the due penal action against the fraudsters.