From Dawn · Wajih Ahmad Sheikh · · 1m 40s
Pakistani defrauded US Postal Service remanded in NCCIA custody
Pakistani man remanded in Lahore for alleged $126m US postal fraud.
In brief
Pakistani man remanded in Lahore for alleged $126m US postal fraud. Pakistani suspect remanded in NCCIA Lahore custody after Florida jury charged him with defrauding USPS of $126 million through counterfeit postage labels. Originally reported by Dawn.
Pakistani suspect remanded
A judicial magistrate granted NCCIA Lahore five-day physical remand for a suspect in alleged Rs35 billion fraud involving counterfeit US postage labels.
Suspect charged in US
Florida jury charged the suspect with defrauding USPS of $126 million, per US Attorney’s Office of Southern District of Florida.
NCCIA Lahore arrest
NCCIA Lahore Zone arrested suspect after claiming he operated a website selling over 5m fake postage stamps for three years.
Website operation
Suspect allegedly ran website LabelsBank.com since August 2023 to sell counterfeit postage labels.
US Department of Justice
US Department of Justice stated the website was unauthorized and caused losses exceeding $126 million to USPS.
Counterfeit labels
Counterfeit labels allowed customers to ship packages at rates far below legitimate USPS prices.
US court order
US court ordered seizure and shutdown of the website after alleging it sold labels for $2 each regardless of package weight.
NCCIA investigation
NCCIA Lahore formed eight special teams to trace suspect and investigate network across Punjab, Islamabad, and Sindh.
Bank accounts used
Scam allegedly used 16 bank accounts, including some operated by suspect’s close relatives.
Physical remand granted
Court granted suspect five-day physical remand for interrogation after NCCIA sought 14-day remand.
What happens next
NCCIA Lahore will continue tracing suspect and investigating network across Pakistan.
The takeaway
Pakistani suspect remanded in NCCIA Lahore custody after Florida jury charged him with defrauding USPS of $126 million through counterfeit postage labels.
