A Pakistani ice cream seller says he is the “unluckiest man in the world” as he only discovered he was the owner of a bank account worth billions once the funds had already been withdrawn.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday froze the bank account of Abdul Qadir from Karachi, after 2.25 billion rupees ($18mn) was found sitting in the account.

The agency is understood to have traced the account, held in a private bank, as part of an ongoing probe into fake accounts used for money laundering, in which Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari is also alleged to be involved in.

“I am the most unlucky man in the world. When I came to know about [the huge sum], it was no longer there,” the 52-year-old said in a television interview.

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It is understood the FIA was first notified of Qadir’s account when the State of Pakistan informed the agency of suspicious transactions when the billions were withdrawn between 2014-15. Qadir denied knowing about the vast sum when summoned by FIA officers for questioning.

While the ID used to open the bank account matched his own, Quadir said “he never opened the bank account”.

He added the English signature put down to open the account is further proof of how he is innocent as “I am an illiterate person and I can’t sign in English.”

When he was called in for a second interview on September 19 following a previous one two days earlier, the Guardian reports, Qadir brought officers to his modest home in Orangi Town to ask how he could possibly spend such a “miserable life if I have billions in my account”.

The Joint Investigation Team mandated by the Supreme Court has unearthed up to 77 suspicious accounts. It is unclear whether the one of the ice cream vendor will be included in that figure.

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