The Sindh High Court on Thursday granted bail to Aaqib, a former branch manager at a private bank, who was accused of being involved in a fraud case where Rs1 million was withdrawn from the account of a homeless beggar in Hyderabad. The court granted bail against a surety bond of Rs200,000.
According to the defence lawyer, the fraud involved the withdrawal of Rs1 million from the bank account of Darya Khan, a beggar who lives in a local wedding hall in Hyderabad. The court expressed astonishment at the transaction, with one judge remarking, “Even a beggar’s account was not spared.”
The court inquired if the beggar had reported that someone had taken his mobile phone or SIM card, a crucial detail in the investigation. The defence lawyer denied any involvement of Aaqib, stating that he had no direct connection to the fraud.
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The lawyer further claimed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had failed to include the primary culprits in their investigation.
Defence argues bank manager’s innocence
The defence maintained that Aaqib’s only role in the incident was to provide customer information to the insurance company, denying that any money had been deposited into his own account.
The fraud was linked to the use of a phone number belonging to a suspect named Zeeshan, with the funds eventually transferred to the account of another suspect, Ayesha, a woman implicated in the case.
The FIA is continuing its investigation and plans to expand the probe to include other suspects based on new evidence. The court’s inquiry into the matter and the granting of bail to Aaqib come amid ongoing questions about the involvement of bank employees in facilitating the fraud.
