FIA likely to freeze Zarco accounts

THE Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has planned to seize all the local and foreign bank accounts of the ZARCO Exchange Company and letters will be dispatched to the commercial banks concerned within a couple of days.

Sources in the FIA, Lahore, revealed on Wednesday that the decision was taken to safeguard the amounts of the complainants, recovering the illegal money from the company.

They said the investigators had also started collecting the details of personnel accounts and assets of the ZARCO Company and its Chief Executive Syed Lakht-e-Hussnain.

They said the investigators were questioning the arrested IT manager of the firm, Musawwar, whose bail was rejected from the banking courts some two days back. They said Musawwar installed the entire setup of the company and had important information regarding the computer network of the company.

The sources said the main server of the company, which was recovered from its Lahore head office, was sent to the FIA’s Cyber Crime Lab in Islamabad where the technical experts were trying to retrieve all the data.

When contacted, the FIA, Lahore, director said the agency was investigating the case from various angles and no lacuna would be spared. He said the agency would send letters regarding seizure of ZARCO’s accounts soon.

The FIA director said the FIA had launched a campaign against Hundi and Hawala business in the country on the directions of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Interior Ministry. He said a comprehensive report was sent to the federal government in this regard. He said the FIA, Punjab, had begun the investigation into the matter with a two-fold strategy, firstly, by checking international flights to prevent physical transfer of forex and secondly, by launching a crackdown on foreign exchange companies involved in Hawala. He said the campaign against Hawala business would continue.

Source: The News