For over six years, around 112 ghost employees allegedly illegally appointed in Thatta district police have been receiving the salaries and other benefits. However, the police officials who made these fake appointments have not been traced, states a report submitted by the district police to the Hyderabad DIG."The findings of the inquiry revealed that approximately 112 ghost employees were receiving salaries against [sanctioned] strength of Thatta district whereas no legal document regarding their recruitment or appointment is available on record," the report, prepared by a committee of four police officers, revealed. The report has recommended that the National Accountability Bureau should conduct an inquiry.The committee was headed by Thatta district SSP Faisal Abdullah Chachar and comprised TM Khan SSP Tauqeer Muhammad Naseem, Hyderabad ASP Muhammad Abdullah Lak and inspector Sirajuddin Lashari. The committee, which has so far held two meetings and conducted interviews of 11 clerical staff members, was formed by Hyderabad DIG Sultan Khowaja on September 17."We have written to the Sindh Accountant General and the treasury office to share records about these [ghost] employees. But, so far we haven't received anything," SSP Chachar told the media. He believed that an officer of SSP rank is supposed to have signed the offer letters for the ghost employees which would have been submitted to the treasury, from where the salaries were being released. "We have tried a lot but couldn't get the records."The SSP also acknowledged to confronting pressures and refusing certain offers to expose the wrongdoing. The committee visited human resource management information system (HRMIS) section, accounts branch and sheet branch besides perusing the pay slips and approaching NADRA in the course of their inquiry. "Personal records and other pending disciplinary proceedings against the accused were also considered," the report said.According to the report, a total of 153 employees were found unaccounted for, of whom 112 have been established as ghost employees. Former sheet clerk Abdul Sattar Solangi, senior clerk and former accountant Raja Shahid Iqbal Rajpuit, Azam Gopang and four other staff have been found to be involved in the scam so far. All of them have been put under suspension.Published in The Express Tribune, October 11, 2018.