FIA arrests 11 involved in smuggling of dollars to abroad

LAHORE: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested 11 accused on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in smuggling of dollars worth 15 billion rupees to abroad, ARY News reported.

The FIA banking crime circle in a crackdown against money laundering arrested 11 suspects in Lahore including two people from Karachi.

The accused used 50 benami accounts to smuggle US dollars worth 15 billion rupees to foreign countries, FIA officials said.

The investigation agency arrested two persons Abdul Qadir Memon and Tariq Mehmood aka Baba, who had arrived Lahore from Karachi.

Another accused Noman has been imprisoned in Karachi jail and the matter has been communicated to FIA Karachi, officials said.

The dollar smugglers arrested in Lahore included Asif Rehman Aziz, Bu Ali, Farhat Ali and others FIA officials said.

FIA banking crime circle has registered five FIRs against the accused in Lahore, officials further said.

These bank transactions were made in a period from December 2016 to January 2017, FIA officials said.

Fifty benami accounts used for illegal transactions were opened in the name of the people from Karachi.

The accounts were opened in different banks in Lahore with the shipping documents, officials further said.

The amounts in these accounts first transferred from Karachi and then to Dubai, FIA officials said.