KARACHI: A man in Karachi has alleged that digital currency worth $850,000 was stolen from his account after his mobile device was snatched at the city's airport last month.
The incident reportedly took place on September 30, when the victim, Faiz Yab, a resident of Keamari, was travelling to Peshawar.
According to the complaint filed in the District and Sessions Court, Malir, two men in plain clothes intercepted him at the airport and took him to an office, where his device containing digital currency access was seized.
Shortly afterwards, he said, $850,000 was transferred from his digital currency account without authorisation.
The petitioner told the court that despite approaching the airport police, his complaint was not registered. He urged the court to order an inquiry into the incident and ensure his safety.
Following the petition, the court ordered SSP Malir to conduct a formal investigation through a DSP-ranked officer, and directed that a detailed report be submitted.
The police later presented a sealed report and a USB containing evidence to the court.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Sindh High Court chief justice, and senior police officials, the victim alleged that he was unlawfully detained and his digital wallet was accessed during that time.
He stated that some of the nominated suspects had contacted him and threatened to destroy the CCTV footage.
The letter further mentioned that within 48 hours, the airport station house officer (SHO) had shown him CCTV clips on a laptop, but he feared that the footage could be tampered with.
He requested that the recordings from the airport's CCTV system — which retains footage for 28 to 30 days — be preserved and sent to the trial court.
The victim also called for forensic verification of the footage by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) or National Database and Registration Authority's (Nadra) video laboratory to confirm there had been no tampering.
Following the court's directions, SSP Malir has initiated the investigation, with a DSP-ranked officer appointed as the investigating officer (IO).
The police confirmed that the victim had been contacted and his statement would be recorded on Monday.
According to the police, the robbery involved digital currency worth $850,000, stolen after the complainant's device was forcibly taken at Karachi airport.