ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: Assistant Director Kamran Faisal of the National Accountability Bureau, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his residence in Federal Lodges on Jan 18, had requisitioned a house in a remote area in Islamabad four months ago, but he never lived there for a single day for reasons better known to him.

“He requisitioned the house in Chattha Bakhtawar to shift his family from his hometown Mian Channu, but could not do so,” said an official who closely worked with Mr Faisal.

He said probably it was some unknown fear, threats or problem in the family that stopped Kamran Faisal from bringing his family to Islamabad.

According to sources, he seldom visited his hometown to see his family and spent most of his time in the office. He always complained about mental stress because of workload.

“Earlier, Mr Faisal was investigating the RPP scam alone, but he dissociated himself from it in November last year and was only assisting other seven officers in the case,” a senior official, who did not want to be named, told Dawn.

He said that on the complaint of Mr Faisal, the RPP case involving nine companies had been split into several parts so that each one could be looked into by a separate investigator.

When Mr Faisal was the lone investigator he had prepared a report on the scam, but the NAB’s top bosses wanted to change the report or declare it a flawed one, the official said, adding that Faisal was forced to submit an affidavit that he had prepared the report under acute mental stress.

UNDER PRESSURE: According to sources, some senior officials of Rawalpindi NAB were pressured into preparing a new report on the RPP scam.

“Many officials of Rawalpindi NAB were forced to alter the report, but they refused to do so,” a source in NAB said.

According to him, the director general in Rawalpindi was removed last week on the same ground and an impression was given that it was done on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The court took notice and grilled NAB bosses on the matter. The court was angry over the use of its name to remove the official despite the fact that it had issued no such order.

The official was restored three days ago.

In its recent report submitted to the apex court, Rawalpindi NAB had suggested that all 16 accused involved in the RPP scam, including Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, should be arrested.

Meanwhile, two senior NAB officials were asked on Thursday to assist the Secretariat police in the investigation into the mysterious death of Mr Faisal. They are required to provide relevant details about the victim to police.

PHONE RECORD: The NAB headquarters received on Thursday a letter from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority seeking cooperation in retrieving record of Mr Faisal’s cellphone calls.

Media reports suggested that Faisal had sent SMS to his colleagues that he was being pressured into giving an affidavit that he had prepared the report on the RPP scam under mental stress.

Soon after the Supreme Court took into its own hand the investigation, all departments, including NAB, police and PTA, sprang into action.

Kamran Failsal, 35, who was investigating the Rs22 billion RPP scam, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room. His death came three days after the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister and 15 other accused in connection with the scam.