Armed robbers flee with Rs 2.5 million after shooting security guard in Karachi
Listen to article
Armed robbers in Karachi snatched Rs 2.5 million from a poultry farm businessman and shot his security guard during the robbery.
The security guard was severely injured, with a bullet wound to his head, and was transferred in critical condition to Jinnah Hospital.
The businessman, who runs a poultry farm, was on his way to deposit the money at a bank with his security guard when the incident occurred.
As they were driving near Korangi No.2, a Suzuki Alto car blocked their path, and armed robbers in the car demanded the money. When the businessman resisted, the robbers opened fire and fled the scene. The bullet struck the security guard in the head, leaving him badly injured.
The incident took place just as Eidul-Fitr approaches, with an uptick in street crimes and robberies in the city. The police were alerted to the incident, and SSP Korangi along with other officers reached the scene quickly.
Crime scene investigators were called to collect evidence, and the police gathered CCTV footage from the area. The injured security guard was identified as 35-year-old Amir Ahmed.
According to SSP Korangi Tariq Nawaz, the victim, Farhan, was heading to the bank with his friend Basheer and security guard when they were ambushed by three to four armed robbers.
The robbers, who were in a white Alto car, stole the Rs 2.5 million and fled after the shooting. The victim stated that the robbers were armed and quickly escaped after the crime.
The police have initiated an investigation using technical and human intelligence and conducted geo-fencing of the area. The police are hopeful that within the next 24 hours, they will be able to track down the suspects involved in the robbery.
Farhan, the poultry businessman, confirmed that he was on his way to deposit the money at the bank when the armed robbers blocked their car and took the money. He mentioned that the robbers were three to four in number and were riding in a white Alto car.
Last week, armed robbers looted more than Rs1.15 million from the staff of the Peoples Bus Service in Karachi's Gulshan-e-Hadeed, holding them at gunpoint in a late-night attack.
According to driver Sher Jan, the robbery took place at the last stop of the bus service, where he and other employees were resting. Six assailants arrived in a vehicle, with two staying inside while four entered the premises. One of them wore a mask.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Peshawar's cosmetic firm: FBR orders licence cancellation for alleged tax evasion
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken a major enforcement action against a cosmetic company of Peshawar for alleged tax evasion and also ordered licence cancellation and declared production, stocking and sales of its products as illegal. In a decisive move to crack down on tax evasion, the FBR has intensified enforcement actions across the country through its Large Taxpayer Offices (LTOs), Regional Tax Offices (RTOs), and Corporate Tax Offices. The FBR has also directed its field formations to maximize enforcement actions during June 2025 to meet the assigned targets. Acting on the FBR directive, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in Peshawar has been formally instructed to immediately revoke the manufacturing license issued to M/s Forvil Cosmetics a company blacklisted for allegedly evading taxes to the tune of millions. The FBR has not only declared the production, storage and sale of this company's products illegal but has also prohibited any other firm or third party from manufacturing, stocking, or selling goods under the trademark 'Bio Amla' or any similar name. The banned products include Bio Amla Shampoo, Bio Nikhhar Cream, Seven Day Cream, Prima Hair Color among others. According to official documents, the FBR has explicitly directed PSQCA to neither issue a new license nor renew any existing one under the said brand, including any entity associated with Forvil Cosmetics. Following these instructions, PSQCA Peshawar has given the company a seven-day deadline to submit a clearance certificate from FBR, valid sales tax registration, recent income tax returns, proof of tax payments, and certified compliance documents. Failure to comply will result in legal action, PSQCA letter said. In a letter sent to PSQCA, the FBR revealed that Forvil Cosmetics registered in Peshawar. The case is also under investigation by the Directorate General Intelligence & Investigation - Inland Revenue. Sources confirmed that the FBR has launched similar crackdowns on tax defaulters in other cities including Karachi and Lahore. In Lahore under the supervision of Chief Commissioner of Corporate Tax Office it was discovered that certain PSQCA officials may have colluded to issue a license to the blacklisted company without securing necessary recovery or informing higher authorities. In response a special team led by Deputy Commissioner Inland Revenue Muhammad Qamar Munhas was formed, which promptly wrote to PSQCA and recommended canceling the license issued for the seized trademark. The FBR documents show that the company owes Rs. 570 million (including surcharge and penalties) as of October 2022. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has upheld the assessment order issued against the company. The company has ceased operations for several years. Its sales tax registration has also been canceled and blacklisted. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Business Recorder
Streamlining housing societies' affairs
EDITORIAL: Illegal housing schemes have become a persistent scam due to lax regulatory oversight. They typically are developed by politically influential individuals or those facilitated by corrupt officials in the government departments concerned. People invest their life savings in properties that are either not registered or exist only on paper. This has gone on for far too long with the relevant authorities turning a blind eye to the activity. Aspiring homeowners jointly have lost billions of rupees to fraudulent developers purchasing plots in some of the better known housing societies only to find them declared illegal. Just last March, Director General of NAB Lahore distributed cheques worth Rs 1.16 billion among 11,000 victims of one such society. The proliferation of illegal housing schemes is a matter of serious concern requiring urgent action. At a recent briefing Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was informed that the total number of housing societies in Punjab stood at 7,905, covering an area of about 2 million kanal — mostly comprising encroachments on the greenbelts surrounding cities at the expense of environment. Out of these only 2,687 are approved and almost double that number, i.e., 5,118, are illegal or under process across Punjab. In the provincial capital, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) is responsible for as many as 707 schemes, 427 of them have been given the green light while 206 fall in the illegal category — probably due to pending litigation — while 74 others are in the approval process. But private housing societies remain a problem. In many cases, their proprietors continue to build without necessary approval by greasing the palms of officials or using political connections. The result is mushroom growth of private housing schemes, especially on the fringes of the city, contributing to an unplanned urban sprawl. At the briefing session the CM said the housing schemes that have been built should be regularised as soon as possible so that people could get a relief. She also mentioned setting up of a 'housing society management system' to regularise the sector's affairs. The key, however, is not only a new management mechanism but also ensuring that developers comply with relevant rules and regulations, and the buyers are well informed. An important step in that direction is the CM's decision to introduce transparency through digitalisation of the housing schemes. If and when the plan is implemented, housing societies' approval, management, and transfer will be put online. And as announced, NOC fee will also be paid online after uploading the required documents. This should help control illegalities and also defrauding of unsuspecting buyers of non-existent plots in non-existent housing societies. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
7 days ago
- Business Recorder
Arrest for tax fraud: Senate panel for defining a threshold
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Sunday rejected a controversial proposal by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) seeking powers to arrest individuals at the investigation stage in tax fraud cases, and recommended for defining a threshold and establish slabs for allowing arrests on tax frauds and imprisonment of up to ten years. The committee, which met under chair of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla to review budgetary proposals related to sales tax laws, strongly opposed the FBR's proposal to allow tax officials to arrest person involved in tax fraud without court approval. Debate took place on Clause 37A, explaining the arrest powers of the Assistant Commissioner which originally allowed Assistant Commissioners to arrest, has now been revised to require prior inquiry and Commissioner's approval for arrest. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani clarified that this amendment is a step toward protecting procedural integrity and reducing arbitrary arrests. Tax fraud: IR officers get power of arrest Kiyani stated that they were improving the procedures of allowing arrest in tax frauds under the proposed bill and explained that in the existing provision of Sales Tax under 37 A to prosecute and arrest whereby Assistant Commissioner IR who based on material evidence has reason to believe that any person has committed a tax fraud or any offence warranting prosecution may cause arrest of such person but now under the proposed bill the Assistant Commissioner would have to seek permission of Commissioner to initiate inquiry. He was of the view that the proposed bill placed safeguards to restrict the powers of the FBR. On the threshold of tax frauds, the FBR proposed that there should be a limit of Rs 10 million maximum for allowing arrest. However, Chairman FBR Rashid Mehmood Langrial stated that tax fraud cannot be tolerated at all. A heated debate occurred among Senators and FBR high-ups over whether the arrest in tax fraud to be allowed during the inquiry or after completion of the investigation. Senator Farooq H Naek from the PPP stated that the arrest could only be allowed by the FBR after permission from the judge. The current law permits FBR officials to make arrests during the inquiry stage. However, the FBR proposed in the Finance bill that tax officials can arrest the individuals involved in tax fraud at the investigation stage after completing inquiry. FBR Chairman Rashid Langrial told the committee that the FBR itself has recommended stronger checks on these powers. He revealed that influential individuals, including a former senator, have also committed tax fraud, saying 'We have documented video proofs.' He further revealed that a former Pakistan Customs official, now in FBR custody, had advised a shoe manufacturer on how to commit sales tax fraud, resulting in the evasion of millions of rupees. Senator Naek said only a court of law can authorise the arrest of a person accused of tax fraud. Chairman FBR argued that tax fraud is a criminal offence and that individuals involved in fraud of Rs 1 billion or more deserve arrest. Senator Naek argued that the NAB law was amended because earlier, the arrest was allowed during the inquiry, and now the FBR was proposing sweeping powers. He maintained that any such arrest must be approved by a court. The Finance Bill includes severe penalties for tax fraud: 10 years imprisonment and 100% fines for fraud exceeding Rs. 10 million. Fake invoice generators to be treated as tax fraudsters. Special judges to be empowered to punish offenders Langrial strongly defended the proposed changes in the Finance Bill and stated that if anyone steals a motorcycle, it becomes a cognizable offence, but the Parliamentary Committee was asking not to arrest anyone involved in tax fraud worth millions of billions of rupees. In related decisions, the committee recommended stricter punishments, for five years jail up to Rs 1 billion tax fraud and for frauds above Rs 1 billion, the punishment would increase to ten years in jail. At one point in time, the Chairman FBR stated that if the parliamentary panel was not fine with the proposed safeguards, then they would be fine with the existing powers. The committee advised the FBR to revisit the proposal in consultation with the Attorney General and the Finance Minister and return with revised suggestions. In response to mounting objections over registration rules and arrest powers, Chairman FBR assured a redraft of the relevant provisions. 'We'll review this again and bring a revised version by tomorrow,' said Chairman FBR The FBR has proposed drastic powers, including the sealing of business premises, the seizure of movable property, or the appointment of a receiver for the management of the taxable activity of a person who fails to register themselves. It also proposes to bar operations of bank accounts and transfers for immovable property owners who prefer not to get registered for the Sales Tax. FBR Chairman assured the panel that no sealing or seizure action would be taken without first holding a public hearing, involving tax officials and representatives from business chambers. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
