Former Director Karachi BRT Reportedly Goes Missing After Rs. 8.5 Billion Corruption

Former Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Yellow Line Project Director Zameer Ahmed Abbasi has reportedly gone missing in Lahore, days after authorities booked him in a multi-billion-rupee corruption case linked to the project.

A kidnapping case has been registered at the Defense-C Police Station on the complaint of his father, Muhammad Panah, against unidentified individuals.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Abbasi, a Grade-19 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, was staying at a residence in DHA Phase VIII, Lahore, when the incident occurred on June 12, 2026.

The complainant alleged that 15 to 20 unidentified individuals, some wearing police uniforms and others in plain clothes, entered the residence, covered their faces, and forcibly took Abbasi away at gunpoint.

The FIR states that Abbasi has not been produced before any court and has not returned home since the alleged abduction. His father has also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court seeking his recovery and legal action against those responsible.

The incident comes shortly after the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) registered a case against Abbasi in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the World Bank-assisted Karachi Yellow Line BRT project.

Investigators accuse Abbasi of approving an advance payment of Rs8.5 billion to contractors in violation of contractual terms. Authorities claim the payment caused significant financial losses to the Sindh government, as contractors were required to secure financing through commercial sources.

The corruption case also names former Director of Procurement Jhaman Das and other officials. It emerged from an inquiry conducted by the Chief Minister’s Inspection, Enquiries and Implementation Team Department (CMIE&ITD) into the Karachi Mobility Project.

Authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding Abbasi’s whereabouts.