Food for Thought

Some days ago, the English language paper that I read carried an item about a bank fraud. Two officers of some bank in Lahore, executed a heist of, if I recollect correctly, something over Rs 20 million. Now in common parlance that is TWO CRORE RUPEES! The money was drawn (note, I do not say misappropriated or stolen) from the account of a Deputy Superintendent Police. Now, a DSP rises through the ranks, that is, he enrolls as a common constable and makes his way up. Anyone who enrolls as a constable has to be from a poor family. There is no other way about it. Rich families send their sons to the Civil Services Academy where they run the full gamut before going off to some police college or the other. So, point to remember is the DSP came from a family of very limited means.

The news item said that the bankers were both arrested. Since our papers by habit never carry a follow up story, we do not know what happened to them next. But we can be pretty certain that since a policeman is involved, they must have got hell – perhaps still getting it. That’s all very fine. But has someone asked the DSP where he got this kind of money? Why, to have Rs 20 million taken from his account, the crook must have had an equal if not more still in the bank. And what about all his other bank accounts? Somebody really has to investigate where and how a poor police constable got this sort of wealth. But no one will. The bank officers will probably lose their jobs and the crooked, filthy cop will get his money back.

Now the Federal Board of Revenue tells us that they are going to investigate everyone’s bank accounts. Will they ask this dirty cop where he got his money? They will not. But they will come after you and me.