Banking Fraud Probe: FIA Arrests Two Bank Officers Over Cheque Tampering in Badin

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Composite Circle Hyderabad has taken into custody two officials from a private financial institution for allegedly altering customer cheque amounts, resulting in a fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 494,000 from a business account in Matli, Badin District.

The arrests were made following an investigation initiated on a formal complaint filed by local account holder Muhammad Hashim.

Investigation and Modus Operandi

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant had issued 13 separate cheques for relatively minor sums to daily-wage labourers and vendors, totaling Rs 136,850. However, during processing, the numerical values on the instruments were materially modified, resulting in a total payout of Rs 630,850 from his account.

Key findings established during the inquiry include:

• Payee Statements Recorded: All 13 cheque recipients confirmed to investigators that they presented the documents in their original condition, ruling out external alteration.

• Internal Custody Exploitation: Statements by branch management indicated the modifications occurred while the cheques were under the direct custody and control of bank staff.

• Forensic Confirmation: The FIA Directorate of Forensic Labs in Islamabad analyzed the physical cheques, confirming deliberate overwriting and digit insertions before the transactions were executed in the core banking system.

Suspects Charged Under Penal Laws

The FIA identified the primary suspects as Asif Ali, a former teller and input operator from Digri, and Mubashir Ali, a former operations manager from Matli. Both individuals were recently stationed at the bank’s regional office in Hyderabad.

Investigators allege that Asif Ali fraudulently altered the numerical amounts and entered the inflated totals into the bank's digital system, while Mubashir Ali authorized payments despite visible discrepancies on three of the instruments.

Case proceedings have been formally registered under Sections 409, 420, 468, 471, 477-A, 109, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), with the primary FIR submitted before the Special Court (Offences in Banks) in Karachi.

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