PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday freed a worker of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), who was kidnapped among more than a dozen others this month in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, and handed over body of another employee who had died in captivity, police said.
The Pakistani Taliban, which have recently stepped up attacks in Pakistan’s restive northwest, had kidnapped more than a dozen workers of the sensitive government agency, responsible for nuclear energy projects, from the volatile Lakki Marwat district on Jan. 9.
Eight of them were later released through joint efforts by tribal elders and amid a search operation conducted by police and security forces in the dense forest area where the militants had reportedly taken the kidnapped employees.
While the Pakistani government had not issued a statement on the incident, Shahid Marwat, the Lakki Marwat police spokesperson, had confirmed that a group of nearly 18 “civilians” working on “atomic and mining projects” had been kidnapped by armed gunmen.
“Following hectic efforts by local administration and [tribal] elders, one of the abductees has been set free, while they [kidnappers] have handed over dead body of another abductee to the elders,” Marwat told Arab News on Saturday.
“Eight employees are still in kidnappers’ captivity.”
There was no immediate confirmation of the development by the Pakistani government or the PAEC, but the Pakistani Taliban said they released the worker as a “goodwill gesture.”
“An atomic energy commission official was released as a goodwill gesture at the request of tribal elders,” they said in a statement.
Marwat said it wasn’t immediately clear how one of the abductees had died in captivity.
“His dead body is in hospital for postmortem to know if he was killed by the kidnappers or he had died of natural causes,” he told Arab News.
Earlier this month, the militants released a video of the abductees, in which a man was seen reading out the demands laid by the kidnappers, requesting the government to “immediately” accept them.
The demands included the release of militants arrested in Lakki Marwat, the release of families of militants allegedly in government custody, a commitment not to demolish the homes of militants and their relatives in the future, and compensation for the homes already demolished in the region.
Lakki Marwat is situated on the edge of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, where the TTP has frequently targeted security force convoys and check-posts, in addition to engaging in targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistani Taliban release kidnapped worker of atomic energy commission, body of another — police
https://arab.news/47a6v
Pakistani Taliban release kidnapped worker of atomic energy commission, body of another — police
- Over a dozen Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission workers were kidnapped from Lakki Marwat on Jan. 9, with eight of them released later
- No immediate confirmation of the release of one more worker by the government, police official says eight workers still remain in captivity
Two Pakistani men indicted in $10 million Medicare fraud scheme in Chicago
- Prosecutors say defendants billed Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent services
- Authorities say millions of dollars in proceeds were laundered and transferred to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for allegedly participating in a $10 million health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurers, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury charged Burhan Mirza, 31, who resided in Pakistan, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, who lived in Texas, with submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Medicare is the US federal health insurance program primarily serving Americans aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” he added. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Prosecutors said that in 2023 and 2024, the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to bill Medicare and private health benefit programs for nonexistent services.
According to the indictment, Mirza obtained identifying information of individuals, providers and insurers without their knowledge and used it to support fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of shell companies. Iqbal was allegedly linked to several durable medical equipment providers that filed false claims and is accused of laundering proceeds and coordinating transfers of funds to Pakistan.
Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.
Three additional defendants, including an Indian, previously charged in the investigation, have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing.
An indictment contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
