Six people, including a contractor and officials of the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company (PRMSC), have been arrested over alleged corruption and the use of substandard materials in an ongoing model village project in Toba Tek Singh.
The arrests followed a surprise inspection ordered by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. A team led by the chief minister’s Special Assistant, Shoaib Mirza, visited the site to examine the quality of the construction work.
The inspection found that poor-quality materials were allegedly being used at the site, while laboratory tests reportedly failed to meet the required standards.
The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) subsequently initiated action and arrested six individuals linked to the project.
Those arrested include PRMSC Faisalabad Division Coordinator Hafiz Talat Mahmood, contractor Amir Nadeem, Muhammad Irfan, Site Inspector Muhammad Irfan Munir, Site Inspector Umair Asghar, and Surveyor Umer Sufyan Qadir.
Deputy Director Anti-Corruption Faisalabad Muhammad Sarfraz Warraich said preliminary investigations had allegedly linked the suspects to an estimated loss of Rs. 75.9 million to the national exchequer.
Further investigations are underway.
The allegations have not yet been proven in court, and no statements from the suspects or their legal representatives were immediately available.
The arrests come days after the Punjab government ordered a high-level inquiry into beautification projects and Punjab Development Programme schemes worth billions of rupees in Toba Tek Singh. The inquiry will examine the transparency and implementation of the projects.
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