FIA Arrests Suspect Over Citizenship Facilitation for Afghans
FIA CTW investigators allege Irfanullah facilitated documentation for Afghan nationals and received Rs20 million with his brother, as authorities examine digital records and pursue the wider financial trail.
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) in Islamabad has made another arrest as part of an expanding investigation into an alleged Rs120 million corruption case involving the facilitation of Pakistani identity documents for Afghan nationals.
According to information provided to Islamabad Tribune, FIA investigators have arrested a suspect identified as Irfanullah, who is accused of facilitating Afghan nationals in obtaining or restoring Pakistani citizenship-related identity documentation in alleged collusion with the case’s previously arrested suspect, Syed Aftab Hussain Shah, an Assistant Director at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
Another Arrest in NADRA Case
The arrest represents a further development in a case that emerged earlier this week when FIA CTW arrested a NADRA Assistant Director over allegations that Rs120 million had been received to facilitate the restoration of cancelled CNICs belonging to 51 Afghan nationals. Reports citing FIA said Rs1.9 million in cash was recovered following that arrest, while investigators also obtained documents concerning properties allegedly purchased in Havelian and Islamabad’s G-15 sector.
Investigators now allege that Irfanullah and his brother Musharraf Khan received approximately Rs20 million from Afghan nationals as part of the alleged arrangement. Authorities are attempting to trace the movement of those funds and determine where the money ultimately went.
Digital Records Under Investigation
Investigating officials further allege that Irfanullah was involved in a sizeable informal money-transfer network. According to the information provided, investigators recovered digital records from his mobile phone, including transaction receipts, account records and details purportedly linked to a large number of money-transfer dealers.
The mobile phone and other digital material are undergoing forensic examination, while investigators are working to establish what they describe as the complete financial trail of the transactions.
The FIA’s CTW formally includes a Financial Investigation Unit whose mandate covers financial and economic crime and AML/CFT-related work, while its Cyber Terrorism Investigation Unit supervises digital forensic work. CTW also maintains a field unit in Islamabad.
Investigators Seek More Suspects
Investigators are also seeking to identify any additional facilitators or beneficiaries who may have been connected to the alleged scheme.
Irfanullah’s brother, Musharraf Khan, had not been arrested at the time of the information provided. Investigators said they intended to seek warrants from a magistrate for his arrest.
The arrested suspect is expected to be produced before a magistrate as investigators seek further physical remand for continued questioning.
The allegations against Irfanullah, Musharraf Khan and other individuals remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings. No finding of guilt should be inferred unless established by a competent court.
