ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested Zulfiqar Ali, store in-charge of the National Fertiliser Marketing Limited (NFML), from Kharotabad godowns, Quetta, for alleged misappropriation of thousands of bags of urea fertiliser.

According NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid, the accused, who was arrested with the assistance of NAB Balochistan, had caused a loss of Rs16 million to the exchequer by misappropriation of more than 10,000 imported urea bags from NFML Godown, in Quetta.

The arrest warrants of the store in-charge were issued by the Director General, NAB, Rawalpindi and he was now under custody.

He was presented before the Accountability Court Quetta. The court has granted three days transit physical remand. The accused was produced before Accountability Court, Islamabad, on Tuesday which granted 14 days physical remand for further interrogation.

The NAB unearthed the scam regarding supplying of under weight bags of urea across the country by government -owned organisations in August this year.

It has been learnt that two to four kg less urea had been packed in a 50kg bag of urea and the deduced quantity was sold separately to mint money.

In this connection, the NAB on Monday conducted separate raids in Rawalpindi and Karachi and found under-weight bags of urea in godowns.

“Based on a complaint received by NAB Rawalpindi against officials of National Fertiliser Corporation (NFC) and Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), accusing these officials of supplying under-weight bags of urea, NAB Rawalpindi took notice of the accusation,” the spokesman said.

With the assistance of local police, NAB raided godowns in Kasur and found the complaint to be factual.

A source in the NAB said some 7,500 bags were sealed during two separate raids in both cities.

Two senior officials of the companies involved in the scam and arrested in August, had returned some misappropriated amount to the NAB under voluntary return deal.