LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore held its monthly open court here on Saturday where a large number of victims of financial fraud in investment schemes and the housing sector presented their complaints before Director General Muhammad Ahtram Dar.

The victims included those affected by Ponzi schemes such as the Sarmayadari Company, Unique Solar scandal and ForU Real Traders scandal, along with those impacted by housing sector scams, including Al-Rehman Garden Phase-7, Omega Housing Project, New Lahore City, and Grand Avenue Housing Society scandal.

Taking action on complaints regarding the Unique Solar scandal, the DG ordered an inquiry against the accused persons.

He highlighted that the perpetrators had systematically run a social media campaign to bag investments from general public, warning citizens to remain vigilant against such fraudulent schemes in the future. Addressing the victims of the Sarmayadari Company scandal, he informed them that NAB Lahore had so far received claims from 284 victims amounting to Rs480 million.

DG briefs attendees about action taken on various scams

He assured that NAB would soon transition the case from complaint verification (CV) to the inquiry stage, enabling large-scale legal action against the perpetrators.

Regarding the ForU Real Traders scandal, the DG said that, following the receipt of claims from victims in Punjab, NAB Lahore had increased the number of investigators into probe team. “A dedicated team will also be dispatched to Karachi soon to gather claims from victims based there.”

In the Omega Housing scandal, Ahtram Dar took strict notice of delays in refunding matter and directed the retrieval of complete data of all affected individuals from the society’s administration.

He further ordered strict enforcement of the six-month refund policy and instructed that all victims be kept informed about case progress through relevant WhatsApp groups.

Addressing the victims during the open court, Mr Dar emphasised that NAB was the people’s institution and was making every effort to meet public expectations. He said the bureau chairman had issued clear directives for immediate and decisive action against fraud cases. Victims participating in the open court highlighted the evolving tactics of fraudsters, who continued to collect investments under new names while promising high returns.

They pointed out that these scams were often promoted through organised digital fraud campaigns on social media. Many attendees urged NAB to launch public awareness campaigns on social media to counter such deceptive practices.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025