MATIARI: Anti-Corruption officials on Thursday arrested the deputy commissioner of Matiari over corruption in funds for Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway project.

A team of Hyderabad anti-corruption department officials arrested Matiari DC Adnan Rashid over graft charges and conducted search operation in DC House of the district. Anti-corruption officials took key papers in custody during the search.

Adnan Rashid was removed hours ago from his office over corruption charges in funds for Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) project. He has been detained and will be produced in a court today to seek his physical remand, sources at the anti-corruption department has said.

According to a government notification, DC Matiari Adnan Rashid has been terminated from service over corruption charges. He had allegedly misappropriated 1.75 billion rupees from the motorway funds.

Benazirabad Deputy Commissioner Shaharyar Memon has been given additional charge of Matiari DC.

New Saeedabad Assistant Commissioner Mansoor Abbasi has also been suspended from his office.

Sohail Rajput, the chief secretary of Sindh, had the initiated inquiry into the corruption scam related to land procurement for the motorway project.

Instead of payment to landowners by cross cheques, the amount was drawn in cash by the accused in their own names, according to the inquiry report.

The Sindh government has constituted a committee to further probe the corruption. The committee comprises the additional secretary of the finance department and the secretary of the Sindh Public Service Commission. The committee will submit its report to the government within three days.

According to documents, the National Highway Authority (NHA) had released an amount of Rs4.09 billion to the Matiari deputy commissioner for purchase of the land for the motorway. The accused had drawn Rs1.82 billion cash from bank for procurement of land for 70 kilometers of the road, according to documents.

An amount of Rs4 billion was transferred to another account by the accused through which Rs540 million were earned in profit. The assistant commissioner of New Saeedabad paid the cash to the landowners instead of cheques, according to case papers.