Sindh police on Friday claimed to have arrested an ex-employee of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) along with his four other accomplices and recovered all 5,634 stolen passports from his possession. According to the police, they have arrested five persons including Salman, a former employee of TAAP and his younger brother Tahir and three others including Wahaj, Anas and Sheharyar and recovered all 5,634 stolen passports.
They said the accused, who were the residents of Sohrab Goth, were arrested in separate raids during Thursday and Friday nights. The police said the accused Salman, who was the mastermind of this illicit activity, revealed during initial course of investigation that a man had approached him and offered Rs 0.2 million for each passport when he went to Iran for Ziyarat.
Keeping this offer in view, the accused, who was the former employee of TAAP and presently working the Saudi Culture Centre (SCC) for last 12 months, made a plan and involved his brother and three others for the purpose, the police said. According to SSP Niaz Khoso, the deal was not finalised as Salman had demanded Rs 80 million as against the offer of Rs 20 million. He said the police had recovered all passports, which would later be handed over to TAAP. He said that an investigation team was constituted to initiate further probe in this connection while the culprits would be produced before court for physical remand on Saturday (today).
Needless to mention, some 17 bags containing 5,634 passports including 25 foreign passports, which were going to be sent to Saudi Consulate for visa, were stolen when the office was closed on June 5-6. Following the said incident, the TAAP had registered a case (92/11) in Artillery Maidan police station against unknown culprits on the complaint of Saleem Ahmad, who was in charge in Umrah department of the association.
The police on the statement of watchman had earlier arrested deputy in charge of Umrah department Zubair. Later, the investigation was transferred to Special Investigation Unit and Federal Investigation Agency. However, the East Zone Investigation II police have arrested the suspects and recovered all stolen passports.