FIA seeks Armaghan's custody in hawala hundi case

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday approached an Anti-Terrorism Court to seek custody of Armaghan, a suspect arrested in the Mustafa Amir murder case, in connection with a money laundering investigation, ARY News reported

The FIA has requested the court to grant custody of Armaghan to investigate his alleged involvement in money laundering. The trial court; however refused to grant his custody to FIA, maintaining that the authority to grant remand lies with the administrative judge.

Armaghan was previously booked for his alleged involvement in forgery and fraud. A case was registered against him at the FIA’s Anti-Money Laundering Circle, which alleged that Arman was involved in suspicious transactions, including hawala and cryptocurrency dealings.

According to the FIA, Armaghan was involved in a massive forgery scheme, earning between $300,000 to $400,000 per month . He allegedly used cryptocurrency to launder the money and even purchased several luxury cars with the illicit funds.

Investigations have revealed that Armaghan operated a call center that targeted American citizens, scamming them out of their money, the FIR read. The suspect had also opened bank accounts in the names of his employees to facilitate the fraud.

According to FIR, Armaghan’s team consisted of 25 individuals, each of whom would scam at least five people per day. The suspect had also established a company in the United States with his father’s help to facilitate the hawala/hundi business.

The authorities have recovered three luxury cars worth millions of rupees from Armaghan’s possession, and it is reported that he had sold five more cars.

The brutal murder of Mustafa Amir, who was kidnapped and allegedly killed by his friends in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on January 6, has sent shockwaves across the city. The police investigation has revealed that the perpetrators stuffed Amir’s body in the trunk of his car and set it ablaze in the Hub area of Balochistan.

The case has garnered widespread attention, with recent developments shedding light on the prime suspect, Armaghan. Investigators have uncovered a web of suspicious activities, including his business dealings, digital currency accounts, and other transactions, which are now under scrutiny.