By Yousuf Katpar
Karachi – Khalid Noor has been sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment for his role in a car sale scam that defrauded Muhammad Shah Zar of over Rs1.2 million. The verdict was delivered by Judicial Magistrate Asadullah Memon on Friday, who found Noor guilty of dishonestly inducing Zar to transfer funds under false pretenses.
The scam began in 2021 when Zar responded to an online advertisement for a Suzuki Swift car. After contacting a person named Amjad from the advertisement, Zar was directed to an office in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where he met a person named Noman. Noman offered Zar a Suzuki Swift for Rs1.4 million, and a deal was struck. However, Amjad later called Zar again, providing him with Khalid Noor’s contact information to finalize the sale.
Noor convinced Zar to transfer Rs290,000 on October 27, 2021, and an additional Rs985,000 the following day. After receiving these payments, Noor switched off his phone and disappeared with the money, leaving Zar without the promised car.
The court found that Noor, in collaboration with his accomplice Amjad—who remains at large and has been declared a proclaimed offender—committed fraud by inducing Zar to make payments under false pretenses. Noor was charged under Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).
Prosecutor Sultana Naqvi argued that the evidence presented by the prosecution clearly demonstrated Noor’s guilt, as the transactions were conducted through online transfers, and Noor had intentionally deceived Zar. The magistrate noted that Noor’s actions amounted to “financial murder” as the victim lost a substantial amount of money. Noor was also fined Rs50,000, with the stipulation that failure to pay would result in an additional one month of imprisonment.
Despite the defense’s attempt to cast doubt on the evidence, the court ruled in favor of the prosecution, stating that there were no mitigating circumstances to reduce the severity of the crime. Noor’s actions were described as a deliberate attempt to cause a wrongful gain for himself at the expense of Zar, who was left in financial distress.
This case highlights the increasing prevalence of online scams, where fraudsters use fake advertisements and manipulation to deceive unsuspecting victims. Authorities continue to search for Noor’s accomplice, Amjad, as investigations into the wider scam network are ongoing.
