TAXILA: A police officer was suspended on Monday for conducting an improper investigation in a case involving a number of Canadian nationals of Pakistani origin who allegedly swindled an engineer out of money which they told him will be invested in a business.

City Police Officer (CPO)Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi also issued a show cause notice to the officer and ordered the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations to hold an inquiry against the officer who is also facing allegations of receiving Rs30 million in bribes from the accused for dropping charges against them during the investigation of the case.

CPO Abbasi suspended Subinspector Ali of Wah Cantt police station for holding an improper investigation in a fraud case involving a Canadian family members of which are accused of swindling a Saudi based engineer, Sheikh Mohammad Nahim, of millions of rupees.

The Wah Cant Police lodged a case against Abdul Samad on April 24 along with his brother Shahid Iqbal,father Irshad Khan and sister-in-law Lubna Shahid under section 406 for punishment for criminal breach of trust on the complaint of the victim, Sheikh Nahim. The victim is settled in Saudi Arabia and is an engineer by profession.

Shahid Iqbal was arrested by the police and was sent to jail by a court after his bail application was cancelled.

In his complaint tabled before the CPO in an open court, Sheikh Nahim said he met with Abdul Samad in an airport lounge and that the accused told him his family runs businesses in Canada and Dubai. He said Samad also introduced him to his brother Shahid Iqbal who is said to have proposed to Sheikh Nahim to invest in the business to earn a huge profit.

The victim said he also visited Shahid Iqbal in Dubai in April 2007 where he invested UAE Dirham 1.5 million in a property business.

The family then suggested Sheikh buy a gas station in Canada for US $4.2 million, the victim said. He told the CPO he paid this amount to Shahid Iqbal`s wife and his father at their residence in Gulistan Colony inWah Cantt in the presence of witnesses Mohammad Maskin and Sanju Malik, who are friends of Shahid`s.

The victim said the family then took the money and disappeared.

He told the CPO that police investigators were not cooperating with him and that Sub-inspector All had received Rs30 million in bribes from Shahid in return for giving him a clean chit. In his complaint, the victim said Sub-inspector Ali declared Shahid innocent in the investigation report even though his bail was cancelled by a court and that the police officer is also protecting the other accused in the case.

Sheikh Nahim said seven fraud cases were registered against Shahid and the other accused in Islamabad and Chakwal and asked the CPO to take action against the police official.

The CPO suspended the subinspector and tasked the SSP Operations with probing into the matter.

When contacted, Sub-inspector All denied the allegations against him while Sheikh Nahim told newsmen he will move applications against the family in the Canadian Embassy in Islamabad as well.