Bilal Travels Owners ‘Embezzle’ Rs 28.8 Crore in Bus Service Scam

An investigation has revealed that a private transport company, Bilal Travels, operating the shuttle bus service in the Diplomatic Enclave, is alleged to have embezzled Rs.288 million.

The fraud, attributed to the negligence and conspiracy of relevant Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) officials, involves Bilal Travel, the company contracted to run the service.

According to media reports, Haji Nawaz and Amjad, the owners of Bilal Travel, secured a contract worth Rs. 96 million per annum to operate the Diplomatic Enclave Bus Service. The CDA initiated this service to facilitate citizens visiting embassies within the Diplomatic Enclave. The contract was meant to be paid in quarterly installments and was never adhered to. Despite the standard requirement of an annual advance payment, Bilal Travel did not deposit the agreed amount into the government treasury.

Instead, the company, over the four-year contract period, failed to meet its obligation to deposit Rs. 96 million annually. Employing delaying tactics and securing court injunctions for three years, Bilal Travel, allegedly with the collusion of DMA officials, managed to avoid paying the total amount due, resulting in an alleged embezzlement of Rs. 288 million from the government treasury.

When the court finally lifted the restraining order, the owners of Bilal Travel, with alleged official facilitation, absconded with the entire embezzled amount, leaving their contractual obligations unfulfilled. This prompted the DMA to initiate recovery measures, but these actions were sluggish and ineffective.

Remarkably, the DMA’s attempts to recover the embezzled funds involved linking the process to the Lahore addresses listed on the identity cards of the two owners, thus slowing down the proceedings. The DMA then sought to justify its inaction by engaging the Deputy Commissioner Lahore in the recovery process.

According to the report, Bilal Travel did not deposit a single installment of the contracted amount, which was supposed to be paid every three months. Despite this clear breach of contract, DMA officials neither canceled the contract nor imposed penalties on the company.