- FIA’s anti-money laundering circle files case on behalf of state.
- FIR states Armaghan, father established company for hawala-hundi.
- Call centre used for online scams targeting US citizens: case details.
KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) lodged another case against Armaghan, the prime accused in the Mustafa Amir murder case, over his alleged involvement in running a hawala-hundi network, illegal cryptocurrency transactions, and online fraud.
The case was registered against the accused by the agency’s anti-money laundering circle on behalf of the state.
The First Information Report (FIR) stated that the accused was found involved in the illegal business of hawala-hundi and cryptocurrency transactions from which he was earning up to $400,000 per month.
He, along with his father, established a company in the US for hawala-hundi, the FIR stated.
The agency claimed that Armaghan used to convert earnings from his illegal businesses into cryptocurrency and buy vehicles with the money.
The accused has three vehicles worth tens of millions, while he sold five other cars earlier.
It added that the accused opened bank accounts in the name of his two employees.
Furthermore, he also established an illegal call centre in 2018 for running an “organised network” of online scams in the United States (US).
Sensitive banking information of the citizens was obtained via telephone calls to the US from the call centre, which were used to withdraw money, according to the case details.
It also stated that the money obtained from illegal means was directly transferred to Armaghan. The agency claimed that Armaghan’s team consisted of 25 people, and each person used to defraud five people daily.
A day ago, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi handed over the custody of Armaghan to the FIA for nine more days in a money laundering case after it was informed that the agency was yet to access crypto wallets maintained by him, The News reported.
The judge also directed the FIA officer to ensure that the suspect is produced before the court on the next date of hearing, April 24, without fail.
Armaghan has been booked by the FIA for allegedly committing offences punishable under sections 3 (offence of money laundering) and 4 (punishment for money laundering) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 (Amended 2020).
Mustafa murder case
The case relates to the alleged kidnapping and murder of a BBA student, Mustafa, who had gone missing on January 6. The whole saga unfolded after Armaghan opened fire at a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) — a specialised unit of the Karachi police responsible for tackling cases related to murder and extortion — during a raid at his residence in Karachi’s DHA in February.
Meanwhile, the deceased’s body, found by police in a car near the Hub checkpost on January 12 and buried by the Edhi Foundation on January 16, was exhumed by a three-member medical board under the supervision of a judicial magistrate.
Meanwhile, the scope of investigations was expanded with AVCC contacting the FIA to ascertain the nature of the work carried out at the call centre discovered at Armagahan’s residence.
