KDA officer arrested for taking bribe

KARACHI: Karachi Anti-Corruption Establishment West Zone officials have arrested an executive engineer of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) for taking bribes.

According to sources, Arif Raza, an officer of Grade-18 in the KDA, was appointed Surjani Town XEN a month ago. He was working at the KDA Surjani Town office in Scheme-41.

Sources added, “A XEN is the custodian of the area where is deputed to control overall layout and site plans of that particular area”.

Anti-Corruption Establishment officials took the KDA officer to its District Central circle office, sources added. The Anti-corruption District Circle in-charge Zahid Rahujo said the KDA officer was taken into custody for receiving bribe from a party.

According to Rahujo, the officials found him in possession of Rs 25,000 cash and a cheque of Rs175,000. A case was registered against him and further investigation underway, he added.

Kamal Shaikh, who works as a clerk at the KDA Surjani Town office, said that the Anti-Corruption authorities didn’t raid the site office. They might have arrested the KDA officer from outside the office, he said.

Shaikh said that after taking the charge, XEN Raza had restricted the KDA anti-encroachment department from taking action against land grabbers in Surjani Town.

XEN Raza was previously debuted at Gulistan-e-Jauhar Scheme-24 and -36 site offices. He had been suspended on corruption charges in 2019 too.

During his posting in Gulistan-e-Jauhar in 2018, ACE East zone officials had raided the site office and took some land records with them. Raza had taken the charge as KDA Surjani Town XEN a month ago, after remaining suspended for a year, sources added.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Director Anti-Corruption West Jam Zafarullah Dhari said, “We raided with the magistrate.

“The process of interrogation of the accused has started and it is believed that he was not alone in this crime. His accomplices and facilitators will also be present, he added.