DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A major scandal has come to light in the Dera education department, where 177 fake or ghost employees were found receiving salary through dummy identity numbers.

According to a letter issued by the district accounts officer, the salaries of all these employees have been suspended immediately.

Furthermore, investigations revealed that eight employees of other departments were withdrawing salary under the ‘access drawal’ system. Besides, 49 government employees were receiving salary through fake or dummy IDs, it said, adding their payments have also been halted without delay.

The letter has been sent to the district education officers (men and women, instructing them to take further necessary action.

Additionally, the Accountant General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Deputy Accountant General, Peshawar, and Dera deputy commissioner have been informed of the situation, the letter said.

The letter, signed by district accounts officer Muneer Khan, stated that these ghost employees had already been identified by the education department, prompting immediate action to stop their salary. — Correspondent