FIA ARRESTS FORMER BANK MANAGER AT LAHORE AIRPORT OVER RS 10 MILLION FRAUD 🇵🇰
In a targeted operation against white-collar crime and cross-border flight, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Wing has apprehended a former private bank branch manager at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, in connection with an alleged Rs. 10 Million financial fraud.
The suspect—identified by an agency spokesperson as Imran Sajid, former manager of a private bank’s M.A. Jinnah Road branch in Okara—was intercepted by an FIA immigration team led by Sub-Inspector Ajmal Hussain shortly after his flight landed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Sajid had previously been declared a proclaimed offender, and his details were placed on the federal Passport Control List (PCL) following an inquiry into an investment embezzlement scam.
Here is an operational breakdown of the Rs. 10 million fraudulent scheme, the legal statutes invoked, and the broader enforcement push targeting banking sector fraud in Pakistan.
The Anatomy of the Rs. 10 Million Investment Scam
According to formal case filings, the criminal inquiry was initiated on the complaint of Rehmat Ali, a resident of Okara:
THE FRAUDULENT SCHEME & MONEY TRAIL
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. ABUSE OF OFFICIAL FIDUCIARY POSITION │
│ • Misusing managerial credentials at the Okara branch, the │
│ suspect & an accomplice lured the victim into investing │
│ Rs. 10 Million with the promise of lucrative returns. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2. DIVERSION & MISAPPROPRIATION │
│ • Instead of depositing the funds into official bank yield │
│ instruments, the funds were siphoned off privately. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 3. PARTIAL RETURN & BOGUS DISHONORED CHEQUE │
│ • Under pressure, the suspects returned Rs. 2.5 Million cash│
│ and issued a Rs. 2.5 Million cheque that bounced. │
│ • Rs. 5 Million remained completely unpaid and outstanding. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 4. ABSCONDING ABROAD & PCL INTERCEPTION │
│ • The suspect fled to the UAE; FIA placed him on the PCL. │
│ • Intercepted immediately upon return at Lahore Airport. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When the victim demanded the return of his principal capital, the accused reportedly returned Rs. 2.5 Million in cash and issued a bank cheque for another Rs. 2.5 Million. However, the cheque was subsequently dishonored upon presentation, while the remaining balance of Rs. 5 Million remained unrecovered.
Legal Provisions & Statutory Charges
Following the completion of preliminary inquiry proceedings by the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Wing (Faisalabad zone), a formal FIR was registered under strict anti-graft and criminal provisions:
| Governing Statute | Section / Element | Criminal Charge |
| Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) | Section 409 | Criminal Breach of Trust by Public Servant or Banker |
| Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) | Section 420 | Cheating and Dishonestly Inducing Delivery of Property |
| Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) | Section 489-F | Dishonestly Issuing a Cheque (Bounced Cheque) |
| Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 | Section 5(2) | Criminal Misconduct and Bribery by Entrusted Officials |
The agency confirmed that physical remand is being pursued through the relevant judicial magistrates to recover the outstanding misappropriated capital and trace any secondary accomplices linked to the branch’s operations.
The Growing Crackdown on Banking Malpractice
This arrest forms part of an escalated enforcement drive by federal investigative bodies and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to safeguard the integrity of commercial financial institutions:
- Border Interception Mechanisms: Automated integration between the Passport Control List (PCL), the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS), and airport FIA counters ensures that absconding white-collar offenders are flagged the moment travel credentials are scanned at immigration booths.
- Fiduciary Accountability: Branch managers and financial officers manipulating client trust to operate unauthorized shadow investment schemes face corporate blacklisting, pension forfeitures, and criminal asset attachments.
- Cross-Border Tracking: Law enforcement agencies continue to work in close coordination with foreign jurisdictions via Interpol Red Notices and bilateral mutual legal assistance frameworks to repatriate fugitive financial offenders.
Financial Advisory: Safeguarding Personal Capital in Commercial Banks
To mitigate exposure to unauthorized financial schemes, bank account holders and retail investors should observe fundamental operational rules:
SAFE INVESTING PROTOCOLS IN COMMERCIAL BANKS
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ⚠️ Never hand over physical cash to bank personnel without │
│ receiving a machine-validated system counter receipt. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ⚠️ Official term deposit receipts (TDRs) and certificates │
│ must be verifiable inside your official mobile bank app. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ⚠️ Disregard promises of "guaranteed, off-the-books profits"│
│ or private mutual pools operated by branch staff. │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ⚠️ Immediately report discrepancies or bounced cheques to │
│ the bank's internal fraud wing and the SBP Ombudsman. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Corporate Advisory & Commercial Governance Solutions
Establishing transparent institutional governance, verified accounting mechanisms, and compliant transactional frameworks is fundamental for financial and real estate enterprises. Corporate organizations, commercial developers, and institutional investors seeking strategic positioning and risk-mitigated operational structuring can consult Makani Marketing.
📌 Legal Disclaimer: This publication is compiled from official press releases, law enforcement statements, and news briefings issued by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). All accused individuals remain under statutory inquiry and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a competent court of law.
